Daring Fate: Silver Tip Pack series

by Megan Erickson

  He pulled out another piece of jerky silently, his brow furrowed. He took a bite and swallowed before answering. “I did.”

  “What was that?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure. I…” He waved a hand, a hard mask slipping over his face. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  “What if I come back?” I blurted out. “What if I go to Astria and come back?”

  He raised an eyebrow but wouldn’t look at me directly. “Why would you want to come back?”

  “What if no one is there? What if your scout is wrong?”

  He took a long time drinking his water before he pulled off with a gasp. “Do you think the scout is wrong? What do you feel in your heart?”

  My stomach rolled. “I don’t think the scout is wrong.”

  His smile was grim. “Neither do I. And you’d leave your pack to return to me?”

  I stayed silent at that. Would I? Yes, my wolf nature begged to return home, to be reunited with my pack, but what then? Dare would be back in Eury, wasting away without me. What if I returned home, only to feel the pull to be back with Dare?

  He stood up, towering over me. “It’s best if you leave with no intention of coming back. If I think there’s hope…” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “It’ll be much worse.”

  A sick feeling spread through my body like poison. “Of course.”

  He nodded, then walked away to see to his pack. My gut tightened as the distance spread between us. I didn’t know what to rely on anymore, instinct or my heart. Were they telling me the same thing?

  As soon as Dare left my side, Selene and Jude descended on me, touching and hugging and assuring themselves I was okay. I batted their hands away. “Quit crowding me.”

  Selene's careful touch now turned into a slap to my shoulder.

  “Ouch!” I said rubbing the skin.

  “I will touch you as much as I want, brother. I thought you died!” The fury in her eyes quickly melted away as the tears began to run. She dropped her face into her hands, and sobs shook her body. “Just when I’d gotten you back.”

  I gathered her into my arms. She’d been through so much, and I was eager to get her behind stone walls where she was safe. “I’m sorry. That was a dick move on my part.”

  Jude sat on his haunches next to us, nibbling his lip. I reached out and drew him into our hug. With a kiss pressed to Selene’s temple, I said, “But I’m all right. In pain, but I’ll heal.”

  Selene leaned back and picked at the ragged hem of her dress. “So what’s the Silver Tip pack like?”

  I poked a finger through a hole in the fabric. “They’re good Weres.” I hesitated, thinking of Gage. “Okay, well most of them are good.”

  “More good apples then bad?” she asked.

  “Definitely,” Jude answered. “Most of them are like G and Dare. They want their pack to survive peacefully.”

  She still didn’t look convinced, her eyes wary. “What about how they treat heat?”

  I threaded my fingers through hers. “The female gets to choose her mate during heat. Nobody is forced.”

  She blew out a breath and offered me a relieved smile. “That’s great.”

  “Wait until you meet Bay,” Jude said, his grin huge. “He’s Dare’s brother. He’s funny, and everyone loves him.”

  Selene’s grin grew larger. “I can’t wait.”

  I didn’t know how to broach the subject, but they needed to understand what was in store for us. “There’s something you both need to know, something which will affect our future.”

  Selene’s fingers tightened in mine as she leaned closer. Jude frowned. “What?”

  “Dare told me a scout reported that Astria is being rebuilt. There could be Whitethroat pack members there.”

  My sister gasped, her hand going to her mouth, while Jude’s jaw dropped. “Really?”

  “Really.” I decided to wait until after we were back at the Silver Tip pack to announce we’d be leaving. There’d be time once we rested and ate. “We’ll talk about what we’ll do when we get home, okay?”

  “Home.” Selene tested the word in her mouth, gaze holding a little bit of wonder. “Will we have that again, Reese? A home?”

  I drew her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, while I patted Jude on the back. “Yes, we will. I promise you both, we’ll have a home again.” Somewhere.

  Selene sighed in my arms, Jude rest his head on my shoulder, and I closed my eyes.

  We’d have that again, in this life.

  Dare

  * * *

  I didn’t want to leave the clearing. It was peaceful there, the trees lining our sanctuary providing shade from afternoon sun. But we needed to get home. The pull of my pack was strong. I’d been away from them for far too long, and I was restless.

  Reese sat with his siblings on the outskirts of the clearing. I watched as he opened his eyes and looked right at me, as if he knew I’d been watching him. I felt pulled toward him too, in my heart, in my body. My Were would rage when he left.

  I thought once again about forbidding him to leave and making him stay with me. But would he be the same if he was denied his pack?

  If he left, I couldn’t think about the possibility he’d come back. That would only lead me to madness. Once I sent him away, I was going to have to do everything I could to forget about him, to erase him from my existence.

  My chest tightened, pain sliced down my heart as it cracked, and I rubbed the skin over it. Reese’s eyes tracked my movements before returning to my face. I nodded at him, and he began to rouse his brother and sister.

  I turned back to my pack. “We’ll shift again, maintain a fast pace, and be home by nightfall. Anyone think they can’t handle that?”

  There were no objections.

  Everyone shifted, and I once again picked up Reese, knowing he wanted to protest but was unable to in wolf form. Which made me smile a bit.

  Then we were off again, racing through the woods. We weren’t stopping until we got home. The ache of missing Bay and Mav and my pack was now a cramping in my gut. I knew Reese was healing every minute he was in wolf form, but that still didn’t stop my desire to get home and see him curled up in the middle of my bed, getting my blanket covered in gray fur.

  I wanted his pink-stained throat white again.

  And then I’d say goodbye.

  By the time we reached the gates, the sun was half obscured by the horizon. My shoulders ached from Reese’s weight, and something sharp had wedged itself between my footpads.

  I shifted to human form, the entire pack following my lead—including Reese—and I hollered out to the scouts who manned the gates. “Your alpha is back, open up!”

  I waited, eager to get inside and see my pack while Reese stood at my side, still holding his ribs tenderly. All around me was the ragged breathing of the group I’d pushed to the brink of exhaustion.

  The gates remained closed, and I huffed out a breath and approached them to bang on the wood with my fist. “Hey! Wake up!”

  No response.

  I glanced around, hoping my shouts didn’t draw Nowere attention. I raised my fist to knock again as the gate finally began to open. I stepped back out of the way, and sighed in relief…which was cut short as soon as I caught sight of what was happening behind the walls.

  Gage stood with his arms crossed over his chest, several wolves flanking him, blocking our entrance. My heart pounded, and a trickle of sweat dripped down my back. A low growl next to me signaled Rua was not pleased, and I could feel the waves of hatred coming off G. Vaughn cracked his knuckles.

  Next to me, Reese began to shake.

  Gage smiled, and I didn’t return it. “So I see you made it back,” he said. His gaze scanned the rescue group. “Looks like you had some trouble.”

  “I’m not in the mood for this, Gage. It’s been a long day and we’d all like to get inside and rest.”

  “Ah.” Gage held up a finger. “See, this is awkward.” He waved his hand, a
nd from behind him came a shuffling sound. Gage stepped to the side, and a mass of flesh and blood and rags was tossed to the ground at his feet.

  “Gage—” I began, but my words died as the mass raised its head, and Bay blinked at me with two swollen eyes. He tried for something like a grin, though it was red and lopsided. “Hey, brother.”

  Gage swung his booted foot and caught my brother in the ribs. Bay didn’t make a sound, but curled in on himself. The ratting of the silver chains binding him echoed off the stone walls.

  I didn’t move, my gaze on my brother, my Bay, the best thing my parents every produced. A better Were than me. A type of calm descended over me as he went still. I’d known this day would come, but I hadn’t thought Gage would stoop this low. I shut off everything—my exhaustion, my worry over Reese, my sadness about him leaving. Inside, my blood was pumping liquid fire into my veins, every muscle on alert. I only felt the steely determination that I would kill Gage. My focus narrowed to him and only him as I raised my eyes to lock with his.

  He held out his hands at his sides, striding forward to stand in front of Bay’s prone form. “You left, Alpha. And it wasn’t hard to gather several Weres who’ve had enough of your passive rule.”

  I didn’t say a word, as I was already envisioning slitting his throat.

  “I promised them things you didn’t,” he said. “Things you won’t do. We don’t want to toil behind these walls anymore. We’re Weres. We want to raid and take. We want different food, and riches, and wolves to fuck.” His eyes drifted to Selene, then back to me. “We want the rule my dad and your father envisioned. Until you and your bitch mom fucked it up.”

  I ignored the jab as best as I could, knowing it was supposed to make me lash out irrationally. “Where’s the rest of the pack?” I asked, my main concern for Mav.

  “They know better. After they saw what happened to Bay when he tried to fight us… They knew better.”

  I got to the point. “Are you challenging me?”

  Gage laughed, an evil sound rumbling from his chest. “Yes, Dare. I am.”

  I pointed to my pack behind me. “They’re vulnerable out here. Let them inside first.”

  He made a face. “Nah.”

  More incentive to get this over quickly. I sneered. “Spoken like a true alpha who really cares about his pack.”

  “Maybe you should have thought about that before picking all your most loyal Weres to accompany you on your little mission for one fucking wolf.”

  I clenched my fists. “I’m going to really enjoy seeing your body at my feet.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he curled his lips. “So you accept the challenge?”

  “Accepted.” I shifted immediately and leapt.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Reese

  * * *

  My heart slammed up into my throat, nearly choking me, and my ribs screamed as every muscle in my body tensed.

  Dare was…magnificent. Despite our journey and all we’d been through the last couple of days, he looked stronger than ever. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? He seemed larger and bulkier, his claws sharper.

  I guessed if the True Mate bond power was kicking in now, it was as good a time as any.

  I didn’t have much time to dwell, because Gage and Dare were circling each other, snapping their jaws. Gage bobbed on the balls of his Were feet, kicking up dust.

  I glanced behind me, sniffing the air for Nowere scent, but I smelled and heard nothing. Jude stood in front of G, his teeth bared, his eyes wild. I hadn’t had much time to witness my brother’s actions after his muto, but pride swelled at the sight of his anger. In another couple of months, he’d be even tougher. Behind him, G met my eyes, and I swallowed nervously. He gave me a short nod, then turned his attention back to the challenge.

  Dare attacked first, swiping at Gage with one clawed hand before turning and lashing out with a high kick. Gage dodged the claws, but not the foot, catching a nasty blow on the side of his face. He roared and advanced, swiping at Dare’s vulnerable stomach so that Dare was forced to retreat to avoid being disemboweled.

  “You have to beat him, you have to beat him,” I muttered. I wished I could do something. Like send Dare power, or encouragement, or anything to help him defeat Gage and take back control of his pack and compound. But I didn’t know how. Why didn’t the True Mate bond come with a damn manual?

  Bay was conscious now, laying on his side, watching the fight. His gaze slid to me, and I thought he’d smile, give me a sign that this would all be okay, but instead, he only gazed at me intently, his expression solemn, before dropping his head back to the dirt. My heart sank.

  The front of the compound was a tornado of dirt now as the two alpha Weres scuffled over the ground. Gage’s face was bleeding, and he was limping slightly, while Dare’s shoulder was cut.

  The Weres supporting Gage began to close ranks, making a circle around the fighters. I started forward, pissed off they were blocking more of my view, when G stopped me with a growled warning. “You enter that circle and you’re fair game, remember?”

  Shit, he was right. The last thing Dare needed was to have to save my ass as well as his own. “But I can’t see everything.”

  G’s eyes were on the fight. “I know. I don’t like it either. Normally we’d be on a platform, looking down, but this is…an unconventional challenge.”

  Dare was winning, though, that much I could see. For every blow that Dare connected, Gage missed when he tried to retaliate. While Dare still stood strong on two legs, his eyes clear, Gage was stumbling and glassy-eyed.

  Something shiny flashed, and a pained cry came from one of the two Weres. I darted forward, as close as I dared, to see Dare stumble back, clutching his side, as Gage advanced. Dare’s hand fell away to reveal a ragged, raw wound that bore the unmistakable mark of silver. The pungent stink of burning flesh filled the air.

  “G, he cut Dare!” I called over my shoulder. “He cut him with silver!”

  G’s eyes flared. “You’re a cheating motherfucker just like your uncle, Gage! The pack won’t get behind a cheating alpha—”

  Gage’s response was powerful swipe of his claws, catching Dare in the face and rocking him clean off his feet. He fell to the earth with a thud.

  The ground shook, and every cell in my body seemed to swell to the point of pain. Every instinct in me screamed to help my mate. The silver would have weakened an already exhausted Dare. Gage advanced on him, and I felt that same pulsing in my brain as I’d felt earlier. This time it was stronger, sharper, the pulsing slowly giving way to a constant ache that grew, pain intensifying, until my vision began to short out, and my legs gave way. I fell to the ground, holding my head. A scream rent the air and it took me several seconds to realize the sound was coming from me.

  Just when I thought it was too much, that my skull was going to crack open to reveal only gray mush, the pain subsided, and in its place, was a voice.

  Run.

  My head shot up.

  Dare stumbled to his feet and swayed, but managed to stay upright while Gage advanced on him.

  Go home now. Run!

  That was Dare’s voice. In my head. His gaze slid to me. Please, little wolf.

  Where was home? I wanted to say. Instead I shook my head. No. I won’t leave you. I inhaled, gathering all the power I had in me, all the energy I would normally expend to shift, and shoved it at Dare through the new-found mental connection we shared.

  His body jolted like he’d been struck by an imaginary fist, and he darted his eyes to me one last time, narrowing them. Why did you—

  Gage caught him on the cheek with a punch, the sound of flesh hitting flesh drawing a gasp from Selene. Dare didn’t even move his feet as he absorbed the blow. Then, with an upward cut across his body with his massive clawed paw, he caught Gage on the chin and knocked him off his feet. The other alpha went soaring, landing on his back in the dirt and sliding five feet.

  There was a scuffle behind me, my name being ca
lled in what sounded like G’s voice but I was too focused on the fight.

  Dare headed toward Gage, and I knew this was the moment he’d finish him, despite the silver wound in his side. My power combined with his was unbeatable. I smiled as Gage rolled onto all fours with a groan. Then he turned his head and looked right at me.

  He returned my smile with a bloody one.

  And my stomach dropped.

  A nearby Were grabbed me. And I realized my mistake too late. While I’d been focused on sending Dare my power, I’d entered the circle. I was now fair game.

  Fuck.

  The Were who grabbed me held a silver knife up to my throat, and in my now weakened form, I couldn’t fight or shift. G had tried to warn me, I realized as he watched me with concern. I shook my head at him, ignoring the pained look in Jude’s eyes.

  Gage held out a hand, pointing to me, and Dare stopped, Were eyes widening in horror as he realized what was happening. Gage shifted so he stood in his human form, covered in blood and dirt. And that fucking smile was still on his face. Dare shifted too, not taking his eyes off me.

  Gage crossed his arms over his chest. “I waited patiently for you to find a mate, Dare. Because I knew, once that mate came along, then I’d finally have your weakness.” He laughed bitterly. “I especially love that your mate is a wolf, and has little wolf siblings he loves. Because what your mate loves, you love, and that makes you even weaker.” Gage’s bloody smile was carving out my heart. He waved a hand toward the Hive rising tall toward the moon in the distance. “The pack doesn’t care about these ancient rules. They care about the stronger alpha winning.”

  “What’s fair about using silver to win, you bastard!” I yelled.

  The Were knocked me in the back of the knees, and I fell to the dirt. Dare started but when the knife pressed closer against my flesh, he stopped, nostrils flaring. Finally, he turned to Gage. “What do you want?”

  “Your surrender,” Gage said simply.

  “You think I’m going to leave my mate with you?”