by Mary Hughes
Fucking marvelous. His body had settled right in, accepting her as his mate, even glorying in it.
His brain and emotions were way far behind. This was a disaster. For years he’d tried to believe he was a full-blooded shifter, even though he’d suspected his mother’s relationship with the wizard was something closer than employer and employee. So, all right, sex with a witch could happen. Even having children was possible. But mating? Never. Happened.
Right?
Except his mother’s eyes had been gold too.
But the wizard’s eyes were silver. Even if Noah’s mother had mated, it was one-sided. How else could the wizard have abandoned them? One reason why Noah felt no remorse amputating any connection with magic after.
His head throbbed. He’d sworn to never trust mages again. And now he was mated to one?
“Your eyes changed color,” Sophia said from the depths of his embrace. “What does that mean?”
He throttled a groan. She’d seen. The only bright side was that she didn’t know what it meant.
He thought about lying for all of a second. Even if this was the most unnatural mating on the planet, she was his. He couldn’t lie to her.
He could, however, equivocate. “It’s complicated.”
Was it ever. He was riding a roller coaster between extreme joy and scared shitless.
He could just imagine how she’d react. Disgust would be the least of it. Witches were even more prickly about purebloods than shifters, just look at the hereditary council. “Hereditary” had the stamp of bloodline all over it. He was sure every last royal witch and wizard would be horrified—right before they cut off his balls, or whatever penalty they had for this particular taboo.
“It’s always complicated,” she said dryly. “Look, I know we started out to prove the nature of the hex, but what happened…I mean, I want you to know I don’t sleep with every guy I meet…not that we did any sleeping…well.”
He felt her blush more than saw it, a heating between his pecs, and smiled. It was so sweet, so cute… Bite his wolfie ass, his emotions were lining up with his body. He groaned.
Only his mind remained the holdout, detached, doubtful. Sane. This could not be happening.
Therefore he had to find a way to make it unhappen.
His body froze at the thought. His emotions ran like knives through him. His heart thumped painfully.
She said, “But I think we have to do it again.”
“Again?” Where’d that eager little yip in his voice come from? He’d been the dog King too long. “Why?”
“I think it worked—I think the hex was revealed—but, um, I didn’t have my eyes open to see it. Not my physical eyes and not my third eye.”
“But we climaxed together.” And how special was that? “Proof positive everything is good. So you can stay.”
“Good sex proves… Where did you get that idea?” She leaned back in his arms to look into his eyes.
He didn’t want her to see the gold, didn’t want to remind her he was evading her earlier question. He tucked her face back into his chest.
Then her words seeped through. “Good sex?” That wasn’t just good sex, it was exceptional. The best sex of his life.
The most fabulous orgasm he’d ever had wasn’t the shared paradise he thought? Was this like his mother, a one-sided mating bond? Worse, was this all his pitiful ego, needing Sophia to be as overwhelmed as he was?
“The sex was amazing,” she said. “But it doesn’t prove alignment. Even evil can indulge in pleasure.”
Of all that, he only heard the sex was amazing. Yeah.
“Noah, are you listening?”
“Of course.” Mostly. “If you can’t tell the hex’s alignment by the climax, how can you tell?”
“By looking into the mirror at the moment of climax. A positive alignment reinforces. It makes everything glow. Negative dims the reflection. I don’t suppose you were looking?”
“No.” He’d been feeling. “We really have to do it again?” He couldn’t help the hopeful little catch in his voice. “It’s the only way?”
“It’s the only non-magical way. But not the only way.” She wrestled out of his hold. “There’s a reveal spell. It’s pretty simple.” She started hunting for her clothes, dressing.
For an instant, he thought she’d figured out his secret. That she wanted him to do the reveal.
Then she pulled a serious-looking black wand from her skirt pocket. She fingered it. “It keeps coming back.”
“You? You’re going to do magic? After you locked it away?” He was appalled. “No. Not for me.”
“It’s not like you can stop me.” She looked at him and blushed, hard. “Aren’t you going to dress?”
He stood straighter. Even after they’d satisfied the itch, she liked what she saw. Yeah.
“Please?” She looked away.
For her, he pulled up his pants, zipped and belted. He left the shirt unbuttoned. “Sophia, I remember you trying to use that wand on Killer after he chased us from his trailer. You were in obvious pain. I don’t want you doing anything that distressing. If we can find out the hex is good simply by having sex again—”
“No!” She put a hand on her cheek as if to cool it. “Sorry, but I’ve reconsidered. Last time, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Nothing makes me think this time would be any different. Can you promise you’d keep your eyes open?”
He gave her a grudging, “No. But would it hurt to try?”
“Something is driving us together.” She glanced at the mirror and her cheeks turned downright ruddy. “Something incredibly strong, which makes it very, very dangerous.”
His gold eyes in the mirror were as bright as coins. Strong? She had no idea.
“Reinforcing it with sex is too risky, especially when a simple reveal would tell us. Then if the hex is beneficial, great. But if it’s not, I’d get out of your life, pronto.”
Get out of his life? “Too late,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. Can you promise me there’s no price?”
“Yes.” Her hands clenched, and she couldn’t quite hide the agony flashing across her face.
He scowled. “Don’t lie. Not to me.”
She sighed. “No, I can’t promise.”
“Then no, you can’t do it.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue then simply shook her head sadly and turned toward the door. “Then I have to go.”
Anguish shot through him, sharp, breath-stealing, as if she’d ripped out his heart. “You can’t go.” His tone revealed more of his pain than he meant. “You can’t go…without your car.”
He’d said it automatically, to cover. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. A walk to the garage would buy him time. “Mason might have it ready. Let’s go check.”
“Well…all right.” She reached for her coat, still on the carpet from when she dropped it.
He intervened, nabbing the wand from her with one hand and the coat with the other, then dropping the treacherous thing into the pocket. He snagged her elbow and spun her away, steering her toward the door—as he nonchalantly tossed her jacket onto a hook on the coat tree.
“But I’ll need my coat—”
“It’s too warm. You want to sweat? You can come back for it and your suitcase with your car. If it’s ready.” He steered her outside.
“I suppose.” She locked up and started west.
He followed. She swung along in her skirt, heels and little white top. His eyes felt glued to the swing of her hips. He kept remembering that under that skirt was a pair of thigh-highs, lacy panties and nothing else.
Distracted. That was bad. If they were attacked, he’d be no protection for her. He caught up. As they walked, his hand sought hers. She took his without seeming to realize she was doing
it.
They walked hand in hand. Also bad if they were attacked, but he couldn’t seem to stop touching her.
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, and couldn’t think of a safe topic—sex, hex, mating? So she was the first to break the silence.
“You know, you don’t look forty years old.”
“I’m not.” He finally focused to stare at her in consternation. “I’m twenty-nine.”
“So young?” She stared back at him, incredulous. “Wasn’t it suicidal to challenge?”
“Well…yes.” Shifters lived long lives and didn’t come into their full strength until their forties or fifties at the earliest. He’d only won because he’d matured early, and because he’d pulled on his mage heritage at the last minute.
“Why’d you do it?”
“Instinct?” He’d never put his reasons into words before. Now, for her, he tried. “Jobs are scarce here. Seems like half the pack moved away to find work. The ones left…well, stronger is supposed to help weaker, but the alpha, Scauth, and his inner circle were lazy. Living off the sweat of the iotas and omegas. The pups were starving, their mothers overworked. Mason tried, I tried… It was just wrong.”
“Starving children?” Her spine stiffened with affront. “My aunt would never tolerate that.”
“I doubt she knew. Pack takes care of pack.” He slid an arm around her waist, his excuse to guide her around the corner, but his real reason to smell her better, to feel her heat, her vitality. Her compassion. “Linda might have known something and tried to help in a way we wolves would accept,” he amended. “A couple years ago, before Mason asked me to come to Matinsfield, I got an anonymous message hinting that I’d find answers about my childhood here. Who else but your aunt would’ve known that?”
“Just the Misses.” Her gaze was on his mouth. “So you’ve been here a year with starving children and didn’t fight until now?”
“Before, you thought I was nuts to fight at all, now you think I was nuts to wait even a day?” He wanted to take up the unspoken invitation in those beautiful eyes, those slightly parted, soft lips. “Slan Scauth got his position through backstabbing and trickery. I tried to build up a power base first, so I’d have solid support for my leadership against his deceit. But Scauth went through his midlife crisis in a rather spectacular way, and I couldn’t wait.” Nearly raping a teenager had been the last straw. “Now I have five ex-lieutenants who hate me, and only Mason to support me.”
He snapped his snout shut. He hadn’t meant to say that, hadn’t meant to worry her. But she was so easy to talk to.
“Even more reason to get you unhexed as soon as possible.” She fell silent, a frown on her face.
She was silent as they entered the shop, silent all the way to the garage, a silence that began to worry him.
Finally she said, “Look, I’ll stay as long as what I’m doing can help. But if I do one thing that crosses the line, I’m leaving. And if Rodolphe attacks me again, you let me handle it, do you hear?”
In all that he only heard she was staying. He was relieved—until Mason appeared from under Sophia’s car, scowling.
“Damn, Noah, I’m glad you’re here. I just had a visit from the Fucking Five. It’s a disaster.”
Mason rarely got upset. With his size, strength and smarts, he could handle anything, so why stress?
Yet from his words and the way he kept pulling hand wipes and cleaning his hands—and the fact that he didn’t seem to notice Noah’s golden eyes—he was definitely perturbed.
“The anti-alphas? What did they say?”
“I don’t think she—” Mason jerked his head at Sophia, “—should hear.”
Definitely pack business. Noah turned to tell her to leave.
His wolf howled denial. Unnatural or not, she was his mate.
Noah shook his head. So much for wanting to keep the mating bond secret. “I understand. Now you understand. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Sophia. I don’t have any secrets from her. I can’t have any secrets.”
Mason blinked. His nose twitched. Frowning, he sniffed. His eyes met Noah’s and his eyebrows jumped into his hairline. “Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. You two are ma—”
“Made up, yes. We’ve resolved our differences and are working together.”
“What are you talking about?” Sophia touched her pearls. “What’s wrong?”
Mason opened his mouth. “You two. You’re—”
“Getting impatient.” Noah glared at the blabbermouth. When Mason still hesitated, Noah used his alpha growl. “Beta, report. Now.”
“Yes, sir.” Mason didn’t look happy, but after a deep breath he started. “A group of pack ‘representatives’ came here an hour ago—the usual crew of five.” He grimaced. “They said the majority of the pack was behind them.”
“On what?”
“What else? Your leadership. They’re full of crap. The majority of the pack is not behind them, but the females are so used to being pushed around and abused by the males—” Mason’s wolf rasped into his voice, “—instead of being protected and supported like they should’ve been, well, they probably just gave in.”
“Even though they’re safe now?” Sophia said.
“It’s only been a few days,” Noah said. “They have to unlearn years of fear.”
Mason said, “Those assholes have been constantly grumbling since we packed Scauth up and carted him off. We should’ve seen this coming.”
Premonition ruffled Noah’s fur. “Bottom line it.”
Mason cut a glance at Sophia. “They’ve issued a full Alpha Challenge.”
“The fuck they have!”
“What’s that?” Sophia practically vibrated with her need to know, her need to help. She wasn’t going to wait quietly on the sidelines, apparently. No missish little mate, but one who could match him stride for stride… Bloody claws, he had not just thought that.
With a reassuring squeeze to Mason’s shoulder, Noah turned to her. “Nothing big. When the alpha isn’t taking responsibility and control of the pack, it’s a single twenty-four hours to prove he’s up to the challenge of leadership on all counts.”
“But usually it’s only issued after plenty of time for him to try,” Mason said. “The minimum before this was nine months, and that was only so short because Doghouse was obviously screwing the pooch…literally.”
“Ew.” Sophia grimaced. “So it’s like impeaching an elected official? There’s a vote?”
Noah shifted his eyes. “Kind of like.”
“Not really like,” Mason said. Noah would’ve stapled his second’s mouth shut but Sophia was watching. Mason yapped on. “It’s a full HUFF, starting with the hunt tonight.”
“Right,” Noah said. “That gives me a couple hours. Plenty of time to prepare. Now about Sophia’s car—”
“What’s a HUFF?” Sophia jumped in.
Persistent woman. Pride warred with consternation, but Noah’s practicality won out. She’d keep asking until she had answers. He’d give her enough to satisfy her curiosity. “A ceremonial Challenge Hunt.” He left it at that.
But naturally Mason was being Mr. Helpful. “It starts with the hunt. That’s what the HU stands for. At moonrise, which is slightly before one a.m. tonight, the pack is led in a hunt by the alpha and his mate.”
Stapling would not end at his lips, Noah decided. Balls would be involved.
“His mate?” Sophia’s pretty brow wrinkled as if the thought of Noah having a mate other than her was painful. He wanted to fold her in his arms and reassure her that only she was his, and he hers.
Mason must’ve wanted that stapler vasectomy because he was still talking. “The Hunt is followed by a Challenge Fight. That’s where a challenger fights the alpha for his mate.”
Noah shuddered. If anyone took Sophia from him…
<
br /> “Is the pack there for that too?” Sophia asked.
“All important events take place in front of the full pack,” Mason said.
“So if the hunt is at moonrise and this all happens within twenty-four hours…” Sophia tapped a finger against her pearls. She obviously was considering the risks, formulating a plan. Damn, she was impressive. Maybe she’d even guessed the main problem. “When is the fight?”
She’d seen it. Noah gave in to the inevitable and told her. “When sunrise clears the tall meadow grass. Two hours after first daylight.”
When he was fifteen pounds of fur. Losing was almost inevitable. And the winner would take Noah’s witch.
Chapter Fifteen
His witch.
Somewhere between Noah’s eyes taking on the mating color and now, his mind had lined up with his body and emotions.
He’d come to think of her as his mate, and no temporary about it.
Damn it.
“Daytime?” Sophia said. “That’s not good. All right, let’s hear the rest. If HU is hunt and F is fight, is there a second F?”
Fucking-helpful Mason opened his mouth to reply. Screw the stapler. Noah pivoted and kneed him in the gonads. He covered the action by pretending to stumble. “Oops.”
Mason lifted from the floor with a yelp. He skittered back, hand protectively covering his privates, and gave Noah a bewildered look. Then his eyes cleared and his sheepish expression let Noah know that the message was received—and that Mason wasn’t permanently injured.
Noah spun back to see Sophia staring at him suspiciously. “I’d prefer to concentrate on the first hurdle. The Hunt.”
“All right,” she said. “Problem. You’re not mated.”
“Sure he is,” still-fucking-helpful Mason said.
That did it. Next time Noah wouldn’t pull his kick. Testicles would meet tonsils.
But Mason’s words meant he already accepted Sophia as their alpha female.
Would that be so bad?
Noah gazed at her. She was bright, beautiful, spirited and determined. Perfect for him.
He crushed the wistful thought. She was a witch. Like his father. Never trust witches.