by Kamryn Hart
Isabelle smirked. “There’s some other force out there that none of us know. It’s the power behind our birth, our creation. Some people are made for each other. It’s as simple as that. Soulmates exist. That’s why the Moon extends its reach to those who aren’t its shifters. Not everyone’s Soulmate is going to be from the same mold. In fact, I think that happens quite often.”
“What about all the people without a Soulmate? If Fated Mates are so rare, that means Soulmates are rare, right?” Gwen asked.
“Good questions, but I don’t have the answers. All I know is you don’t need your Fated Mate to find True Love. It can happen for anyone.”
“Isabelle, I want to ally Blue Pack with Trinity,” Nick said. “Officially. I’ve been considering it since the Erin Smith fiasco. There’s a lot of shit you guys know that I don’t know anything about. I hate being an incompetent Alpha. Trinity has to pass one more test, though.”
Isabelle looked like she was about to laugh at the concept of Trinity having to pass a test, but she reined it in. “And?”
Nick didn’t waver. “I want to see how they handle Ava. That will make my decision. Thanks for coming out by yourself to speak with me first.”
Isabelle nodded. “I can call in a private jet to transfer everyone, including anyone you’re planning on taking with you to Ava’s trial. Try not to bring more than ten, though. It’s overkill.” She waved one of her bejeweled hands. “The sooner we leave the better. It’ll look good for Ava since it would help show her willingness to set things right.”
“Where are we heading?” Max asked.
“Talepeaks, Washington. Land in the mountains owned exclusively by Trinity and the place Trinity is the most concentrated. The Celestial Alphas spend most of their time at headquarters. They are the ones who will check Ava out. She’s in good hands, the very heart of Trinity.”
“Good,” Nick said. “Max, get Ava and get ready to go. Meet back here.”
Max was reluctant, but he replied, “Got it.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Gwen offered.
Max didn’t need an escort, but whatever. She was the Alpha’s mate. She could do whatever she wanted. She led the way, her every step sure and graceful. Her stomach was getting bigger little bit by little bit every day. Max wondered what that felt like. She was growing a new life inside of her body. Whenever he took a moment to really think about that stuff, it amazed him. God gave all the creatures on the Earth a way to create more. The Moon, Sun, and Earth may have been gods in their own right, but Max was convinced a different god started creation, the god he had believed in his entire life. Shifters were held in favor of the Celestial Trinity, but humans weren’t. Witches weren’t. Who was their god? Were the Celestial Trinity really gods or more like demigods with limited power? He wondered.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Gwen said as she opened one of the double-doors in the grand foyer.
Max contemplated responding. He wasn’t sure if she said that for his benefit or for her own, but then something caught his eye. Cedric was walking up the steps to the door. He was wearing a light sweater and his fingers were resting loosely in the belt loops of his jeans. He had a limp. Max’s hackles rose at the sight of him. His lips were curling back to show his teeth. The last time he saw this sorry bastard was when he was flying away after the fight. He hurt Ava and almost ruined everything. They were lucky no one got killed because of him.
“What do you want?” Max growled.
Cedric didn’t react to Max’s hostility. His eyes stayed their normal human color, hazel. He tilted his head down in a way that was submissive, not quite wolf, but like it was a learned behavior after living with a pack of wolves for a month. This made Max pause.
“I’m still angry,” Cedric said.
Gwen shuffled closer to Max by small increments. Her hand was a live wire at her side, like she was ready to jump onto him and hold him back if he decided to lunge for the snowy owl shifter.
“You don’t know what it was like. Or maybe you do. You were hit with that fiery stuff, Black Magic. It just didn’t last long,” Cedric continued. He clenched his fists at his sides. “But I can also see when I’m wrong. I fucked up back there. I almost got everyone killed. I thought… I thought Ava was going to blast you all with her magic. Didn’t matter that she had a plan, that she told you all to stay clear so you’d be safe. I wasn’t convinced. When I hit her and she didn’t fight back, I went into a frenzy.” He shook he head. “I think it’s time for me to leave.”
“There’s something you can do first.” Nick was suddenly behind Max and Gwen. “Come inside and talk, Cedric.”
Max stepped aside for Cedric to pass. He didn’t have anything to say to the birdbrain, but he did give him a little nod. He acknowledged what he said and appreciated it. Maybe Cedric wasn’t a complete douche.
On his way back to the motel, back to Ava, Max contemplated how he should wake his sleeping angel. He loathed to do it at all after what she went through last night, and he didn’t want her on trial. Sighing, he let himself inside of their room. He was quiet as he crept to her still sleeping form. She had the blankets all gathered around her now like a messy cocoon. The bed was probably a few degrees colder since he left. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gingerly touched her cheek, grazing the faded cuts Cedric had marked her with. For a short period of time, Ava healed insanely fast, so they were more like remnants of cuts, shiny scars. Apparently, the wolf inside of her granted her this last gift before leaving. Because his Ava was amazing and even a wolf torn from the other half of her mind and body was able to forgive her and see her truth.
God, he loved her.
“Ava,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. “Time to wake up, angel.”
She stirred and let out a tired groan as she stretched herself awake. She grabbed hold of him a moment later and made room for him on the bed. He lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
“To talk to Nick.”
She ran her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes so he could get lost in the sensation. He breathed her in, her delicious scent. He wanted to keep her in bed. His cock was half at attention, but he didn’t know that Ava was up to it. And they were supposed to go back to the Alpha Den ASAP.
“Why are you sad, Max?” she whispered.
He couldn’t hide anything from her. He frowned and opened his eyes. She was gazing at him with her dark brown, almost black eyes, endless love pouring into him. His mate. His to protect.
“A representative from Trinity is here. She’s going to take us to Trinity Headquarters for a trial.”
To his surprise, the soft look in Ava’s eyes didn’t waver. There was a smile on her face, too. He could sense the peace inside of her. She was prepared for this.
“I don’t want to do this,” Max said, voice breaking.
“It’s going to be okay.” Ava pressed her forehead to his.
“How do you know that?” He would do everything to protect her, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew he was one wolf against a whole mess of powerful shifters.
“Because I have you, because you love me.”
“I love you,” he said to reaffirm her words, so that there was absolutely no doubt in them.
“I’m going to fight for you, Max. I want to stay with you no matter what.”
“Me too. I’m going to fight for you, too. Now and forever, Ava. You’re mine.”
“And you’re mine,” she agreed. Then she kissed him.
Chapter 17
MAX GAVE AVA THE window seat. It was his favorite seat in a jet, probably everybody’s, and that was why he gave it up for his mate, but he couldn’t stop himself from almost sitting in her lap as they were descending. They passed down through thick clouds to large snowy mountains in Washington, some place called Talepeaks, a private city that belonged to Trinity. The place was big. There were large homes with plenty of land, but there were also a
lot of buildings that looked like bunkers, military grade stuff. Farther in was a large building, the largest, with so many windows it was shimmering in the evening sun. That was Trinity Headquarters. Maybe it wasn’t one large glass building but a bunch of them combined. It wasn’t just tall, it seemed to span miles.
“Max!” Ava squeaked and giggled as she pressed into his chest. “You’re heavy.”
“Sorry.” Max tried to settle back down into his own seat. They’d be touching down on the landing strip he glimpsed out the window soon enough. Trinity had its own private airport apparently. Other jets were sitting in large hangars near the landing strip.
Gwen and Willow were laughing from a few seats over. Derek was there, too. Max was glad Willow and Derek decided to come to support Ava. Howard and Julie would have come too, but Nick told them to stay and keep things running in Blue Pack while he and his mate were away. Surprisingly, Cedric was the last one Nick had allowed to come with them. He sat by himself and had been deadly silent the whole ride, but whatever. Max didn’t feel threatened. Cedric wasn’t out to cause more trouble, but Max wasn’t sure he wanted to put his faith in him to help the situation either.
In a few more minutes, the jet touched down and they rolled to a stop on the landing strip. Max grabbed his and Ava’s things in two suitcases and followed Isabelle as she led the group off the jet. When they stepped off, they were greeted by a line of shifters wearing military grade armor. They were equipped with weapons sheathed at their sides, guns, knives. Max’s hackles rose, but he reminded his wolf that freaking out here wouldn’t do any good for Ava, so he managed to tame the wildness threatening to break loose. Trinity was about peace, supposedly, but these armored guards didn’t make the place feel very peaceful.
“What’s with all the soldiers?” Nick asked.
“Unfortunately, just being peaceful isn’t enough in this world. Trinity has to protect itself from those who would destroy it. Currently, the Circle.”
Ava shuddered, so Max wrapped his arm around her. She thanked him by leaning into him. Her reaction could have also been partly because of the cold, but he could smell her unease. This Circle thing, this coven of witches, was really bad news.
“What is the Circle, exactly?” Nick inquired.
“A group of Black Witches who would become gods,” Ava replied barely louder than a whisper. “They’ll stop at nothing, and they care about no one.”
“That’s the gist of it, and more or less the most of what anyone knows,” Isabelle agreed. “They are a very private group. We’ve been trying to uncover what they’re planning exactly, but it hasn’t been easy—even with Terros Sight.”
Max scowled and everyone fell silent as Isabelle led them through different checkpoints and clusters of guards. The place had tight security, that was for damn sure. They even got frisked at one point, despite Isabelle escorting them there personally. Max wanted to rip the head off the shifter frisking his Ava. Derek and Nick felt much the same way when it came to their mates. The only reason the boys were able to hold back was because their ladies kept them in their place. Their severe looks seemed to say, “Don’t you dare fuck this up.”
God, but it was uncomfortable. Max wouldn’t let go of Ava’s hand after that.
Finally, they made it to HQ. Max had to crane his neck in an attempt to see the building’s top when they were standing in front of a sliding glass door entryway. A big and burly shifter emerged from the building before they could step foot inside. Max recognized him immediately. The scar on his left eye and the unearthly white of that eye made him hard to forget. Like all the other shifters they saw since arriving, Bruiser was wearing light armor, too.
“He lives!” Nick exclaimed.
Bruiser grinned as he and Nick met halfway, clapping each other on the back.
“Wasn’t sure I’d see you again, bear.”
“Blue Pack Alpha. It’ll take more than that to off me.”
Max watched on in wonder. The two acted like old friends when in reality they had met literally once. Granted, Bruiser had come to help Blue Pack with a shifter collector problem and took command like the dominant he was. He put an Alpha and his pack in their place like it was nothing. Nick was anything but submissive, but Bruiser felt… heavier. Nick seemed to respect that. Obviously, Bruiser respected Nick’s standing as well.
“It seems I have one of your people to thank,” Bruiser said, his voice low and gravelly. He turned to Ava. “From what I’ve been told, I have you to thank for putting an end to my curse.”
Ava blushed and gripped Max’s hand tighter. “I-I want to set everything right. Even if there’s no way to, I want to try.”
Bruiser gave a slight nod of his head. “I’ll show you to your rooms. You’re free to explore after that. Maybe you’ll want to get acquainted with some of the shifters here or maybe you’ll have questions to ask. Whatever you decide to do with your time. The trial is tomorrow so try to get comfortable.”
Bruiser gave them a quick tour of the part of the building they were staying in on the way to their room. There was a large cafeteria that would have made Max hungry with all the mouthwatering smells if he thought he could eat through the uneasiness twisting his gut into knots. There was a gym, an indoor pool, a gallery. One thing was for sure, Trinity didn’t lack for money.
Once the tour was through, and everyone was given keys to their rooms, Bruiser set them free. Derek and Willow ran off to probably cause trouble somewhere. Nick and Gwen stayed with Bruiser and Isabelle. Cedric went to his room.
“What do you want to do?” Max asked Ava.
“I want to be alone with you,” she said.
That sounded perfect. Max pressed his key card to the scanner and the door to their room clicked open. Max shouldn’t have been surprised by this point, but his mouth still dropped open when he saw the place. They had a whole suite to themselves, even a kitchenette. They could order food to their room and prepare it themselves. They wouldn’t have to leave at all until the trial unless they wanted to. The suite was that same slick style as the rest of the building. There were lots of lights and a great view thanks to all the walls that were wide open windows and them being on the fourth floor. Somehow Trinity found a way to look cold and metallic, but warm and country cabin style at the same time. Maybe the cold was simply because the suite had no one living in it at the moment.
Ava’s mouth was hanging wide open, too. “Wow,” she said at last, breaking their stunned silence. “This place is amazing.”
“Agreed,” Max said.
“Trinity Shifters are warm, too.”
Max snorted. “If warm is getting a pat down and being treated like a criminal.” He growled. Remembering another man’s hands on Ava made him angry.
Ava laughed and nuzzled his chest. He couldn’t stay angry when she did that. “Airports are just the same, though,” she said.
“Yeah, and I don’t like those either.”
“Everything’s going to be okay. I know it. Trinity Shifters are warm like your pack.”
“They aren’t technically my pack. I haven’t pledged to Nick,” Max explained.
“But you consider them your pack anyway.”
“Yeah, I kind of want to stay and pledge to Nick so it’s official. I’d buy a house instead of bumming around the motel. I don’t want to go back to Boise, and I don’t have to for my job. What do you want?”
“That. It sounds perfect. I want to be wherever you are.”
Max wrapped his arms around her and pressed his hands into her back. “I need to contact my family. I’ve been avoiding them. They probably think I’m dead in a ditch somewhere.” He shook his head.
“Family?”
“Yeah, Mom, Dad, older brother, and little sister. I know my wolf must have come from somewhere, but I was avoiding telling them about it because no one’s ever told me about being a wolf or having shifter blood or anything like that. I started having all these stupid doubts about them, but it’s like I told you before, Av
a. Love, real love, isn’t something that breaks easily. So, it’s time to quit worrying about what they’ll think and just tell them. I also want to tell them about you. I want you to meet them.”
“And tell them you claimed me even though we just met?” she teased.
“Especially that.” He grinned.
“Okay,” she said easily. “If you love them, Max, I’ll be happy to meet them.”
“They’ll be happy to meet you, too—after they get over the initial shock of how fast I moved on after supposedly having a serious girlfriend.”
“Lizbeth?” Ava’s voice hiked up a notch.
“It turned out to be nothing. Less than nothing. She was cheating on me the whole time we were together.” Max cringed. “You’re it, Ava. Only you. From now on and forever.”
“She must have been out of her mind.” Ava reached up and grabbed Max’s face. Suddenly, she felt and smelled sure, confident. “You’re the sexiest man alive.”
Max groaned. If she was going to say things like that and take charge like this, he was going to be so hard. His cock was already beginning to ache for her. Every part of him was aching for her. Perfect woman.
“Max, make love to me tonight,” she whispered. The last light of the sun was quickly fading below mountain peaks, bathing them in a soft light. “Like the night you claimed me. Only you. I want to think only about you tonight.”
“God, yes. Let me make love to you all night long.”
Ava shook slightly as she met his gaze. Her eyes were glossy with tears threatening to show. Her scent soured and the smile on her face was pained. “I’m a little scared of tomorrow after all. Don’t leave me, Max.”
“Never,” he vowed.
Max swept her off her feet and carried her like a queen to the ridiculously large circular-shaped bed covered with pillows. When he laid her down, the bed held her softly. Her eyes fluttered and she let out a moan of pleasure. He went right to her mouth. The sounds she made against his lips drove him harder. He kissed her fervently, teeth, tongue, everything he could do to claim her mouth with his. He angled his head to reach as far as he could into his Ava’s sweet as candy mouth. Tonight, it would be only them. Everything else could wait. Tonight, he would show her again how much he loved her, how much more he was growing to love her all the time. Short and fast, it didn’t matter. This was the truest love he knew, and it was never going to end. Every day he would find new things to love about her. To admire.