by Sarah Makela
First I needed to convince the Pack of that. Even if I found Ethan, they couldn’t believe they had a monopoly over our future. He should be with me, and not with a female werewolf who wouldn’t love him nearly as much as I did.
Perhaps by helping with this, they might realize my potential. I only hoped that didn’t mean biting me and making me one of them. But if what I’d heard was right they wouldn’t stoop that low, since the Alpha didn’t want new werewolves to be made.
Chad held the door to what looked like a conference room open for me. Several men and a couple women stared and glanced between Chad and me. One man in particular leapt to his feet. He slammed a fist on the massive oak table and watched us with wild eyes. “What is the meaning of this, Chad?”
“She asked to come to the meeting. She can help find them.” Chad didn’t sound like his former grouchy self; instead, he appeared oblivious to the severity of the werewolves’ reactions.
I remained behind him, hoping he would protect me if someone attacked. Fear gathered in my throat, threatening to cut off my air, but I shoved it down, knowing I would look weak in front of the werewolves who had been contemplating killing my boyfriend.
That thought sent anger burning inside me, renewing my strength. I stood a little taller, or as much as I could on crutches, and assessed the group. I kept my eyes at a level where they’d know I wasn’t challenging them, but not low enough that they thought I was completely docile.
“That’s the witch who nearly killed our Alpha, isn’t it?” one of the wolf men shouted in rage and surprise. A greying pencil thin mustache lined his upper lip and he was seated a few spots away from their leader, meaning he had to have influence in the Pack.
“I am standing right here.” I took a step to left so I stood beside and a little behind Chad.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters are your crimes against our Alpha.” This man was dressed in a black suit and had sleek blond hair. He darted toward us, reaching for me. “You should be punished for your actions.”
Chad blocked the blond man with ease. “Get away from her. We both...” He waved to the rest of the room. “We all know this witch crafted the salve that nearly killed my father, our Alpha. However, she didn’t realize what she was doing.” My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe he was sticking up for me. “When I came to her to fix what she’d done, she readily agreed to concoct the remedy for me. We can’t fault her solely on what Jared forced her to do for him. He’s the true villain.” He pushed the other werewolf back a few steps, nearly making the sleek blond man fall.
I remained in place, unwilling to move or even breathe. With these crutches, I was useless at running, so why did I think coming here was such a grand idea again? That’s right... to save Ethan.
“Jared was the one who ordered the salve, but if she hadn’t created it, we wouldn’t have had the problem,” the man with the mustache piped up. The other wolves spoke in hushed tones, as if unsure which side to choose.
“Are you going to listen to the excuses from these men, Father?” Chad took a step toward the long conference table where everyone sat, except the Alpha who stood at the head of the table. His chair lay on its side after he stood so quickly.
The Alpha snarled. “You can’t expect me to believe you want my thanks for bringing in a human...no...a witch to our meeting?” Before I could comprehend what was going on, Chad was sailing across the room, then he smacked into a wall.
The distraction prevented me from defending for myself from the impending attack. A hand clenched my throat and I was slammed back against the door. My feet dangled several inches in the air.
The Alpha stood before me, his eyes cold and calculating. He inspected me like prey.
I clasped my hands over the Alpha’s, struggling for air. What had I been thinking? Barging into the Pack’s meeting like this had been crazy. Now I’d die, and Ethan would remain in danger.
I only hoped he’d release me and realize I could help. Jessa had agreed I’d make the salve for Jared on her behalf. I hadn’t known what I was getting into. If there was anything I could go back and fix in my life, that would be it.
While changing that event might mean not being with Ethan, I knew he would’ve been safe and not turning furry once a month. Also, the group of werewolves wouldn’t have known I existed, so they wouldn’t want me dead because I’d had a lapse of bad judgment and been suckered into doing something because of my mentor.
The Alpha didn’t look like he was going to let me go. I wanted to use my magic on him, but I couldn’t breathe, let alone whisper the words necessary to protect myself.
“Father, let her go.” Chad stood, but he didn’t come any closer. Blood trailed down his cheek from an open gash. I couldn’t believe how bad the cut was, but his father was a werewolf who could put a lot of force into his punches. Now I knew why Chad hadn’t spoken so well of his father before.
He respected the man, but his father wasn’t the type who listened to what others thought. There were probably others in the Pack who stroked his ego even further. Maybe some of the wolves who had worked with Jared were here. Could that be why Jessa hadn’t received justice yet?
Black spots marred my vision, and my body grew heavier. I wished I could speak to cast my magic. Maybe that was why the Alpha had me by the throat. I tried to whisper the words, but I didn’t feel the slow build of magic inside me. My lungs burned with the need to breathe.
The Alpha frowned at me, considering me closer. “What are you trying to say, girl?” He released me, and I dropped to the ground like a sack of flour.
My injured foot hit and I bit back a scream. No, they wouldn’t get the pleasure of seeing me in pain like this. I sucked in a deep breath, then whispered a spell under my breath. While normally I might cast protection, I was far too upset to do that. I’d rather error on the side of aggression if they weren’t going to take me seriously.
Within moments, a fireball brightly burned in my palm. Heat scalded my hand, but I didn’t care. I wanted to throw the fireball at the Alpha, but I held it between us like a shield.
“Witch, put it away.” Chad inched closer to me as if afraid I’d turn it on him. “You don’t want to do this.” I was grateful he was now considering helping me; however, it was a little late. His father didn’t back off, instead he watched me as if he didn’t believe I’d do anything.
There was no way I’d get out of this alive with the way things were going. I wanted to just curl into a ball, but I’d come here with a mission. I wouldn’t let these werewolves ruin that. “You need my help. I can help find Ethan.”
A low rumble of voices came from the people still sitting at the table taking in our spectacle. Wasn’t that great? They thought we were some kind of entertainment for them. If I’d been braver, I would have screamed at them.
“How would you hope to accomplish that when some of my best trackers haven’t been able to establish a location for our missing?” One of the female werewolves spoke up from the table. She was tall, blond, and looked bored by the whole thing as if we were wasting her time.
“The...” My throat cracked as I tried to talk and I cleared it to try again. “The same way I would do anything. Magic. I have my tricks. You need me.”
The female werewolf sighed. “We don’t need you, but if you’re the best hope for finding my son, then we should consider accepting her help, Alpha.”
I blinked, not expecting to hear that. Her son? What had I stumbled into?
“Fine. Show us your magic tricks. Help find them, but then you’re out of here, and that’s for your own good. If we see you around here again, you’re dead, witch.” The Alpha walked back to the head of the table.
Now was as good a time as any when I had some semblance of power. The woman wanted to find her son, and she’d talked the Alpha into having me help, so that meant they weren’t able to find him on their own. If that were the case, I might be allowed have Ethan, instead of him mating with a female werewolf.
Chad touched my arm and I looked over at him. He shook his head as if he knew what was going through my thoughts, but I couldn’t just sit back and not try.
“That’s not good enough,” I said, surprising myself at my boldness. “If I help you find her son and Ethan, then I want you to acknowledge that Ethan is my... mate...my boyfriend.”
The Alpha growled and marched toward me. “You are a stubborn and stupid girl. Don’t think you can push to have your own way here. My word is law.”
“Father, they already have a relationship—”
The fireball still burned in my palm, and if I didn’t want to seriously injure myself, I needed to extinguish it or throw it. The Alpha was making that decision much easier by the minute.
“Silence!” The Alpha loomed over us as if he thought we could be threatened so easily.
Chad shrank back a little.
Well, at least one of us could be threatened. However, I had nothing to lose here. If I couldn’t be with Ethan, then it was like death. I couldn’t imagine going back to the kind of abusive relationship I’d been in with Greg, and he was more than willing to take me back.
“If I can get my son back, then give her what she wants. That boy wasn’t born a wolf. It doesn’t matter if he’s mated to a female werewolf. Jacob was. Do you think it’s better to not have her assistance in finding our missing, or caving in to the witch’s one demand?” The mother werewolf leaned forward at the table. The nonchalant and uncaring look on her face had disappeared. She looked like a woman willing to do whatever it took to get her child back. “Besides, I’d rather have my boy mated with a female wolf. A wolf born as a wolf. Don’t you agree?” She narrowed her eyes at the Alpha. The others around her nodded their agreement.
The Alpha slammed a fist on the table, not happy to be challenged, and the group quieted down. “Fine, but you will die if you don’t find them. You won’t walk out the front door.”
The fireball flickered out in my hand and my palm was bright red with a few blisters forming. My gaze landed on a wall clock. Oh, shit. The tea was starting to wear off now.
Chad tightened his grip on my arm and he watched me with a new look in his eyes. The normal Chad was back, not the man who had protected me. He opened his mouth to say something, then he stopped.
“I will find them.” I lowered my gaze a little, feeling very uncomfortable with all of the tension in the room. I couldn’t let my fear overcome my abilities as a witch. If I did, then I might as well be dead, because that’s what would happen.
“You better,” the female werewolf said.
The Alpha nodded. “Take her away. She should get started on her ‘magic tricks’ right away.”
I gulped.
Chad pulled me with him, grabbing the crutches and my purse on his way out. I could barely keep up with him hopping and that made me hurt more.
“Slow down. Please.”
Only when we were in a different part of the house or should I say mansion, did he finally stop, shoving me away from him.
I gripped a wall to keep from falling.
“You used me. You put something in that tea.” His face scrunched up with anger. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You think you can come in here and fling your magic around like you’re hot shit, but you’re only putting yourself in danger. You may think my father won’t kill you, but you’re disposable to them.” He wrenched open the door to my right, grabbed my upper arm and pushed me into the room. “Get busy.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mia
Night had descended, and I sat in the back of the car. I’d been able to get a general location by scrying a map of the area, but I’d had to come along to get something clearer since I didn’t think a fifty mile radius was exactly what we needed right now. The werewolves had obliged... barely.
Chad was glued to my side as both my pseudo protector and one of the main people holding a big grudge against me. I shrank away from him and the incredible power that billowed around him like an angry wind.
The other werewolves in the car weren’t thrilled about my presence either, but I think some of the problems with their emotions were due to Chad giving off so much negative energy.
I elbowed him softly. “Calm down. You’re affecting my magic.”
Instead of turning to me or saying anything smart, which I had highly anticipated him doing, he just took a deep breath and looked out the side window. Within moments, the atmosphere in the car was a lot more bearable. Even the other wolves grew slightly less agitated. Thank goodness for sensibility.
“Please, stop at the next intersection long enough for me to scry.” During the last two, the werewolf had blown through as if we starred in a police drama or action movie and were in hot pursuit of a bad guy that didn’t follow traffic signs.
No offense to them, but I wasn’t a werewolf. If someone rammed the car as we barreled through an intersection, the werewolves would be just fine. Me on the other hand, I wasn’t equipped with their massive healing capabilities.
“Do as she says,” Chad grumbled.
They reached the intersection and the car skidded to a stop. My neck jerked forward, then back, and my stomach jolted within me. I almost wished I hadn’t mentioned anything, except this was one of the ways scrying worked.
The crystal would lead us to the direction we were meant to go. I held it still for the briefest of moments, since the werewolf driver had caused it to go spinning out of control, then I focused my thoughts on asking where we needed to go.
It swayed side to side. Go left. Frowning, I took a deep breath and looked one way, then the other way. “The crystal says left.”
The werewolf glanced back at me, as if looking for verification that I wasn’t making things up. His gaze locked with the swaying crystal in my hand, then went to my face. But he turned to the left just as I’d requested.
When we came to the next intersection, he stopped again. This time the crystal swayed from the front to the back. “Keep going straight.” Very rarely did the crystal want us to turn around, so I was fairly confident in my estimation. However, while I liked to think I was being super useful with scrying, it wasn’t something I’d done too much before. I had a long way to go before I could claim mastery.
Mostly I’d played with it when I was younger to ask questions on when I’d meet a boyfriend, or answers on multiple-choice homework. A few times, I may have frustrated my deity since the answers were mostly incorrect. After that, I gave up scrying. Then again, I didn’t always have the best relationship with Karma, as noted by the horrible break-up with Greg last month.
I frowned at the way the crystal suddenly started swaying as we passed an old gas station. “Wait. Turn around. I think we found something.” I couldn’t tell since it was so dark.
The seat beside me groaned as Chad moved. “Do it,” he said.
When we got back to the abandoned gas station, the men spread out and knelt low to the ground sniffing. None of them bothered to shapeshift, but it was for the best. I didn’t want to see that. While I loved Ethan, seeing a werewolf change into a wolf would probably be more than I could handle.
“They were definitely here.” The driver pointed to skid marks bolting from the station that were headed in the direction we’d come.
The passenger sniffed a little closer in a spot away from us. “Jacob’s scent lingers over here. Just barely. There’s another werewolf with him. Female, I think.” He crawled over to another area, sucking in another deep breath. “There were at least three men after them here.”
I couldn’t help the fascination coursing through me at watching him work. To know I was making a difference made my heart soar. However, we still hadn’t found them.
“Looking at the tire tracks, I think our destination will be there.” Chad pointed toward the woods. “Jacob must have parked his car here while coming after this mysterious female, and if that’s the case, we’re not that far.” Relief sagged his shoulders, and he glanced in my direction, the faintest
bit of respect in his eyes. “Thank you, witch.”
I smiled. “I’m happy to help.” The other two werewolves stared at me, and nervousness wedged into my chest. “What do we do now?”
“I’m going to call my father and have the other werewolves in the area help us. You’re going to wait in the car.” Chad nodded his head to the wolf who’d been in the passenger seat, and the wolf stalked toward me.
I bared my teeth at Chad, but hurried back to the car before the wolf could touch me, then rolled down the window to try to hear the phone conversation. The wolf crossed his arms over his chest, keeping watch on me as if I’d make a move to get out of the car. While I didn’t want to be in here, there wasn’t anything for me to do right this second.
“Father, I have good news. We have a location.” Chad beamed. I only hoped he didn’t forget who had given them the location. It had taken a lot of my power to concentrate on the crystal, and only now did I realize the strain it had put on my body.
I didn’t hear the full response from the other end, but whatever the Alpha told his son, it seemed to please him. A small smile crept onto his lips. “We’ll wait for them and check around a little beforehand. I’d like to get this done and over with,” he finally said before hanging up.
There must have been a look on my face as he turned toward me. With a shrug, he finally relented his secrets. “We’ll be getting some backup. However, I still want you to be out of the way. When the men arrive, tell them we are scouting ahead. The enfor… the guy asking will know what that means,” he stated, wolf amber tinting his dark eyes in the moonlit night.
I was too tired and anxious to answer him. After being stuck in the car with three wolves, I needed some space of my own. However, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the men in charge of taking the werewolves and Ethan drove by. I slumped further in the seat.
The werewolves took off jogging through the woods, following a trail only visible to their noses. How amazing it must be, truly feeling and sensing the world through more than just their eyes. The trail had been out in the elements for weeks, but they were able to follow with ease.