A Fey's Wolf

by Elle Boon

  Growls erupted from those gathered.

  “Enough,” Niall ordered. “We have to keep a level head if we plan to defeat this latest threat. We’re not alone in this.”

  “When did you have this dream, Torq?” Payton asked.

  “Every night for the last year,” he answered.

  “Fuuucckk,” Niall said while Zayn echoed him.

  Yeah, Torq couldn’t agree more. “So, what’s the plan?” He looked at Niall then Talia.

  “The Fey Queen is out. We can’t risk her and the young she carries,” Talia announced.

  Niall paced away, looking toward the forest and coming back to stand around the firepit, which was burning. “No, this needs to be kept clear of her and her babes. However, we’ll need to be prepared. If the Dark Fae are here, then they want something.”

  “What do they want?” Cora asked.

  Zayn rubbed his hands over her stomach. “They couldn’t have the Fey realm, so I’m guessing they want Earth?”

  Talia placed her hand in Torq’s. “I’d say that that’s a very good guess. Only they didn’t count on having any opposition here, not like they had with us Fey.”

  Payton shook her head. “That can’t be true. They had to know we were here. Why else would they come to this place where clearly there’s Fey presence?”

  Torq felt Talia stiffen, could sense her pain even though she was closed off to him. Mates weren’t meant to be disconnected. His wolf howled in denial at the continued rejection. Even if she wasn’t aware of what she was doing, Talia was killing him inside a little bit at a time.

  “My—Keith had begun building the Dark Fae. I remember his rants. I had thought were just a crazy man’s mumbling. Now, I believe he was using the shifters he created and the ones he’d held captive to fuel his spells. You see, the Fey rely on goodness and light. We don’t need to gather ingredients to accomplish what humans call magic. We’re all born with different strengths. You might find a Fey who is more connected to the earth elements, making it easier for them to travel from place to place. Or there are some who can manipulate metals of any kind. There’s so many different levels to the Fey. We can all use the different elements, but some can use them on a higher level. I can move from realm to realm with a thought, taking many with me, without it hindering me. However, if I were to need to roll this piece of earth and create new, it would tax me. I could do it, but I’d need to rest and rejuvenate.”

  “My strength lays within the earth and water, not on as large a scale as Talia, but I can pull water where I need it or redirect it. Traveling between places is easy for me, but I can only take one or two with me at a time,” Payton said.

  Adalynn held up her hand, a large pipe appeared. “I can twist metal of any type into what I want it to be. I wasn’t aware of the great use, until recently.” She ducked her head. She’d been in an abusive relationship with the man who’d been her mate, the alpha of a pack in Washington State. He’d held the power of his pack with an iron fist, making sure his wife was the obedient female he expected. It wasn’t until their daughter Alaina ran from their pack to seek sanctuary and actually mate with Niall that Adalynn was able to get free herself.

  “We’ll need all the Fey help we can get. I know you’ve set up wards around the Mystic lands where the pack members live, but what about the lodge where Talia works?” Torq asked.

  Payton shook her head. “Our reach hasn’t covered that area. I’m sorry Talia, I hadn’t foreseen the need.”

  “Don’t apologize, Payton. I can take care of myself and set wards as well.”

  Commotion near the house had Torq moving in front of Talia until he saw who it was. Taryn and Jett, Talia’s daughter and her mate moved together as if they’d been mated years. He sensed Talia’s need to go to her child.

  “Hello, mother. So nice of you to let us know you’d returned,” Taryn said with iciness lacing her tone.

  Torq growled. “Watch your tone, girl.”

  “Don’t threaten my mate, Torq, or you and I’ll have problems. Feel me?” Jett put his body in front of Taryn’s.

  “Tell your mate to show some respect to her mother, and we won’t have any problems.” His wolf raked at him, warring with the need to protect his mate and hating the urge to put a female in place. Instead, it focused it’s anger on Jett. Both man and wolf imagined taking the other man down until he showed his neck.

  “Torq, cage your wolf, or I’ll cage it for you,” Niall said, his hand landed on Torq’s shoulder.

  With a quick shrug, he removed Niall’s hand. “My wolf’s going crazy, needing to protect its mate. I—we won’t stand for disrespect to her by anyone.”

  Niall nodded. “Duly noted. Jett, I understand your mate’s upset, but right now, we have bigger issues. You and Taryn want to hear first hand, then pipe the fuck down. If not, then get your asses back in your rig, and I’ll let you know what’s going on, after.”

  A gust of wind whipped through the area, taking him and the others by surprise. He reached back, wanting to protect Talia from whatever was happening, but found air. “Talia?”

  He spun, looking for his mate, only to come to a stunned stop. Talia, the woman who was his, floated a good ten feet off the ground, her black hair blowing behind her while a blue glow encompassed her. “You have my Fey Blade,” she pointed at Jett.

  Jett’s mouth opened and shut, but no sound came out.

  Torq put himself between Talia and Jett. Her voice was deeper, huskier than he’d ever heard. “Talia, come back down here and talk to me,” he ordered in a soft tone.

  “What Fey Blade?” Payton asked.

  Talia’s finger pointed toward Jett, then she was flying toward him, faster than Torq could track. A scream rent the air as Talia grabbed Jett, taking him into the air with her. Torq felt the other man trying to shift, but Talia was clearly using her powers to hold him as a human.

  “Release him or I’ll kill you. Mother or not,” Taryn warned.

  A blueish light began to glow around Jett’s waist where he had his knife strapped, getting brighter as Talia held him. Finally, she floated them both to the ground. Torq tried to go to them, to protect her from whatever Jett planned. However, she palmed the knife, a tear rolled down her cheek. “Thank you, Jett Tremaine for keeping it safe.” She touched his forehead, allowing him to shift into the huge wolf that he was, his howl deep and angry. “I am sorry, keeper of my Blade.” She knelt in front of the huge wolf, showing her throat.

  Torq growled, his wolf pushing forward as his claws ripped from the tips of his fingers.

  For minutes, the wolf that was Jett, and Talia, stared into one another’s eyes. Time had no meaning as he waited until the invisible bubble holding him out disappeared, allowing Jett to leap toward Taryn who held her arms open. Torq didn’t watch the others around him, or their reactions; he only had eyes for Talia. The knife in question no longer glowed, but she held it against her chest, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. “Talia,” he whispered.

  She looked up. “All this time, I thought I’d lost it forever. He,” she tilted her head toward Jett, “he found it when he was a boy. I saw his memories and how much it had meant to him. I think it was the Goddess’s way of connecting him and Taryn.”

  Torq didn’t give two fucks about any of that. “Why were you glowing and floating?” Fuck, did that come out an accusation?

  Talia laughed, the sound ending on a hiccup. “I couldn’t help myself. My soul recognized my Fey Blade. You see, they can only be created from a certain type of metal and the blood of the one who wields it. I bled for this blade.”

  Chapter Four

  Talia watched the horror in Torq’s eyes and hurried to explain. “Not like a ritual or anything like that. For the Fey Warriors, we had to prove our worth in order to become part of the armies that protected the barriers. When I was no longer welcome—well, when it was time for me to leave home, I found my place within the warriors. After the last battle, many of us were exhausted. After so much loss
, it takes a toll. My Blade was lost during that time. It was as if a part of me was taken away.”

  “How is that so?”

  She glanced around at the others surrounding them. Goddess, she hated explaining herself, or rather her failings. “We give a part of our lifeblood into the blade, which makes it stronger and able to slice through the Dark Fae. Not much can kill them. Yes, you all as shifters can, if you attack in a pack. But if you came up against more than one or two, you’d fall beneath them. They’d not kill you because you’re too important to them, so they’d keep you as a source of power. You see, you have what they want and need.”

  “What’s that, exactly?” Niall asked.

  Talia looked at her daughter, wishing she had the right to go to her and hold her like a mother would. “You have Fey blood, most of you royalty, running through your veins.”

  The gasps and denials were blocked out as Taryn moved forward with her mate next to her. She felt Torq stand behind her, his strength adding a layer of comfort and something she wasn’t ready to define to her.

  “I think we need to talk,” Taryn said.

  “Are you going to listen as well as talk? If not, then I’m gonna have to give a hard, fuck no,” Torq growled.

  She whipped her head around, glaring up at the big man. “Be nice.”

  He grinned, showing even white teeth and a hint of fang. “Oh, trust and believe, I’m being very nice. See,” he flicked his claws out. “No blood.”

  “Yep, that’s him being very nice,” Jett agreed.

  Taryn rolled her eyes. “Men, can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Or so they say. However, I might give it a try.”

  Jett growled and pulled Taryn against his chest, making Talia wish she had that same ease with another. Heat pressed into her from behind. “Be at ease, farfalla. You will never have to face anything alone ever again.”

  “Alright, family shit will have to wait. Taryn, I know you want to have a chit chat with your mother. I get it, and you deserve it, but right now, I need answers for the good of the pack.” Niall’s growl brought their heads around.

  “Niall, you need to slow your roll man. What more do you need from Talia tonight?” Torq maneuvered their bodies, making sure she was behind him.

  “Dear Goddess, how freaking wide are your shoulders?” Talia gave him a shove. “Niall, I have told you what I know at this time. I’ll need to search within the soil and maybe go back to Fey to see if there’s been any rumbling. We need to reach out to all of the Fey, here and around the world.”

  “You mean there’s more Fey, possibly more shifters who are unaccounted for?” Zayn asked, his hand once again rubbing his mates stomach.

  Cora rolled her eyes. “Simmer down, big guy. What, did you think there were only you guys out in this great big world?”

  Zayn grinned. “Why try to improve on perfection?”

  “Oh goddess, please don’t start referencing sex. I’ll get stabby.” Jett held up his middle finger.

  “The only other pack, besides Keith’s fucked up one, that I know of are the Iron Wolves, and they’re close to us. I assumed, well, I guess I figured the Fey hadn’t went far from here,” Niall said.

  Talia tucked her blade inside her waistband. “Anywhere there’s a lay line, the Fey will be drawn. The one here is one of the strongest that I’ve felt, but there are sure to be more around Earth. Jenna’s looking into it.”

  “One of the members of the Iron Wolves, named Turo, is actually a lot older than any other wolf I’ve ever heard of,” Torq announced. When all eyes turned to him, he continued. “My brother Arynn always said the other man had an old soul but hadn’t realized that he was actually over three hundred years old.”

  “Fuck, dude’s old as shit,” Jett joked.

  Taryn hit him in the side with her elbow, but Talia felt the words like a jab to her own side. She looked over her shoulder, taking in the young wolf who claimed she was his. Goddess, he was what, thirty years old, maybe? She was well over three hundred in human years. On Fey, she was still considered young, but here, where her girls were born and raised, she’d be considered old as shit. The thought had her moving a step away, both physically and mentally. Her heart and mind couldn’t handle another rejection. No, best to stick with forming bonds with her girls and letting sleeping...whatever that human saying goes.

  “It’s not gonna work, farfalla. You and I are fated to be together, so just stop thinking so hard, it’s hurting my brain,” Torq growled.

  “Well, it’s good to know you’ve got one. Now, you need to start using it and realize this isn’t going to work,” she muttered.

  Torq wanted to show her just how well it would work. The hard as steel erection in his jeans was testament to the fact it most assuredly would but knew that wasn’t what she was speaking about. No, his mate was ready to bolt because she thought she was too old for him. He wanted to laugh at the absurdness of her thoughts. However, the serious tone and the fact he was connected to her through the alpha link she’d opened unwittingly, he could feel it as well. Goddess, she was more than perfect for him. No way could he allow her to back away from them and what they were to one another. No way in hell could he go another year, or goddess forbid the rest of his life, without his mate.

  He’d already come to the conclusion he wouldn’t be able to stay with the Mystic Pack, knowing his mate was in the Fey Realm, unknowing what she meant to him. If Talia left him, knowing what they were to one another...he cut the thoughts from his mind, knowing his brother Arynn would feel them. As the Omega of the Iron Wolves, Arynn felt too much already. He didn’t need to feel his older brother shutting down at the thought of losing his mate. No, Torq would do all in his power to convince Talia they were meant to be, showing her how good he’d be for her. The Fey had never known what a truemate bond was, until now. Before he allowed her to slip away, he’d make damn sure she knew.

  “Trust me, I have a brain, and it’s telling me, right now, you need to go home. Niall, if you’re done with us, I’m taking Talia home.” Her temporary home, but he’d keep that to himself.

  Niall pinned him with his electric blue eyes. “We need answers. We need to be prepared.”

  “I’m aware, and I do understand, but my mate comes first, feel me?” He stood to his full height, not cowering under that alpha stare or power.

  “Goddammit, when the fuck am I going to get any respect around here? Go, do what you must, but think about this,” Niall growled. “We have children and lost loved ones. Don’t take too long or think too hard. Talia, I know you suffered greatly, goddess knows I wish I could’ve—fuck, I wish a lot of things. At the end of the day, we’re here today, having suffered what we have, become who we are because of those tragedies. Your scars are fresh, where many of us have had years to heal. I wish I could give you years, but with everything that’s going on, I can’t risk my family, my pack, because you need time.” He turned away and shifted, howling as he reached the clearing.

  Torq watched the pack turn and follow their alpha, each shifting into their wolves, howling as they hit the ground on four paws. He felt their sorrow, the same as his own.

  “I’ll get answers. I’m stronger than—I’ll be strong enough,” she vowed.

  He turned her to face him. “Talia, nobody expects you to be our savior.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “The Dark Fae will come and take more from all of you. I’ll do what I must to protect my girls.”

  He heard what she didn’t say. Since she’d not been there for them after they were born, she’d make sure she was now, even at the risk of her own life. Torq and his wolf growled, making her stare up at him with wide blue eyes.

  “And I will do what I must to keep you safe.” He pulled her into his body, needing to shut down any further argument. When her lips opened on a question, he silenced her the only way he wanted, taking her next breath into his mouth. He slid his hands down her sides, holding her gently, worried she’d bug out, or worse, disappear on h
im.

  A slight tremble shook her curvy frame, then she moved onto her toes. Torq took that as encouragement, lifting her up with ease, his muscles bunching as he held her by the waist. The feel of her shapely legs wrapping around his hips had him thinking of all the places he could take her. Here, there, everywhere. Hell, he swore he heard Dr Seuss in his head, squashing any images of a cat wearing a hat as his tongue licked along Talia’s. Her sweet mint flavor an elixir he could get drunk on and never want to get sober.

  “You gonna bone my mother standing up, or you think you could ease up, big guy?”

  Torq barely controlled the urge to growl at the sound of the female’s voice. His unclaimed mate...fuck, he hated that word, promised himself he’d mate Talia before another full rise and set of the sun could occur, stuttered out a cry of alarm.

  “It’s okay, farfalla. Taya, behave,” he warned. He’d known her back when he’d been with the Iron Wolves. Although she’d been a young teenager, she’d been hell on wheels then, chasing boys like they were her best friends. The second to the Iron Wolves had to fight her off with a stick most days. That didn’t mean she deserved what had happened to her a couple years back, but he wouldn’t allow her to hurt Talia, the woman who’d birthed her and his mate-to-be.

  “We missed the call from Niall for the meeting, it seems,” Bronx said. He stood next to his mate, a clear sign of solidarity.

  Talia wiggled until he had no other recourse but to release her, letting her slide down his body. Fuck, she felt good in his arms.

  “Good evening, Taya, Bronx. Yes, you just missed the rest of your pack by only minutes.” Talia had her hands clasped in front of her. Her entire demeanor was one of anticipation of rejection.

  Bronx tilted his head toward the other side of the clearing. “We heard the howls on the drive up.”

  He wanted to ask the other male why the fuck they stopped if they knew the pack had left, but kept his lips sealed. His eyes, however, were glaring daggers at the shifter next to Taya. Bronx would’ve known what was going on, just as Taya would’ve. Hell, if he’d not have had his tongue halfway down Talia’s throat, he’d have realized who was near them. Of course, he’d known they weren’t alone, but hadn’t given two shits if they were caught kissing by members of the pack. They were shifter and Fey. Sex for both species was as normal as breathing. Between mates, it was sacred. Almost mates, just as important in his mind, if not more so, dammit.