Zac spoke first, gently wrapping his hands around her upper arms. “I’m sorry about what Daric did to you, but I have to do this. I can’t live without her.”
“What Daric—” Cady’s expression instantly changed, and her eyes darted to Astrid and then to Nick. “Explain yourself, Nick. What did you tell our son about the past?”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “The truth.”
“But not the whole truth, I imagine.” Cady turned to Zac. “Sweetheart, if you can’t live without her, then go after her.”
He stood there for a moment, stunned. “I … thank you, Mom.” He gave her a quick hug and then picked up his pace as he made a beeline for Astrid.
The song had just ended, and Astrid and Donovan broke apart. “It’s been great catching—hey, Zac, my man,” his cousin greeted.
“Hello, Donovan.”
“Dude, it’s been too long.” Donovan hugged him, but Zac remained stiff. “You never call or even visit. By the way, look who I bumped into. Astrid Jonasson.” He gestured toward Astrid. “I can still remember when she would swim naked in my pool.”
Zac felt the heat of combined anger and jealousy rage through him. His gaze zeroed in on Astrid, who had turned bright red.
“I was four years old the last time I did that,” she said defensively.
Donovan chuckled. “I’m just kidding, Astrid. Besides, you’re all grown up now.”
It was too bad that the San Francisco Lycans were patriarchal, otherwise, Elise would have inherited the Alpha title. Because Zac was pretty sure he’d cause a major incident if he punched a future Alpha’s teeth out. As the next song began to play, he cleared his throat and took ahold of his emotions. “I was hoping to dance with Astrid.”
“Of course, cuz.” Donovan gave a gracious bow out. “Be my guest. But save another dance for me, Astrid.”
“Donovan, no—”
But Zac quickly took ahold of Astrid and spun her around before she could call to Donovan who was already walking away from them to join his mother and sister. Astrid struggled in his arms, but he held her in place. “Astrid, stop,” he said.
She turned her head away from him. “I didn’t say I would dance with you.”
“I didn’t ask.” She tried to get away from him again, but he tightened his grip around her waist. “You could poof out of here, but you’re not even trying.”
She blew out a breath. “That’s because I don’t want everyone to see my abilities.”
“Or you don’t want to get away from me.”
There was a barely-contained rage in her eyes when she looked up at him. “What do you want, Zac? Did you come to accuse my family of more crimes against yours? Or to—”
“Stop. Astrid, please. I was wrong. Wrong for just leaving you like that.”
It looked like her expression faltered for a second, but the hardness in her eyes came back, like storm clouds suddenly appearing in the sky. “It’s too late, Zac.”
“Don’t say that, Astrid. It’s never too late.” He searched for something—a little tenderness in her eyes or a spark of defiance. “Because I won’t give up on you. On us.”
“You already did!” she hissed at him, finally breaking free of his arms. “You did when you left me standing in the freezing rain.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks. “When you broke my—” She sobbed, her hand going to her mouth.
The people around them were staring now, and Zac could feel their eyes on them. But he didn’t care. “I’m sorry, Astrid. And if it takes me a thousand lifetimes, I’ll never stop asking for your forgiveness. Because I love you, and I need you in my life.”
She sucked in a breath. “Zac, I—”
He never heard what she said after his name. A loud explosion filled the room and the sound wave it caused was enough to deafen him. There was a second explosion, and this time the force of it pushed him forward. He stretched his arms out to protect Astrid, then they stumbled to the floor. He cried out as pain shot through his eardrums but didn’t move. When the ringing in his ears faded, the sound of chaos was all around them.
“Zac!” Astrid said as he was getting to his feet. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.” He turned around. People were running everywhere. Most of them were guests, dressed up in their formal attire. Looking over to one side of the room, he saw two gigantic holes in the wall, the edges still burning. Smoke was everywhere. There was more screaming as a group of people streamed into the once-whole walls of the beautiful ballroom.
“Who the hell are those people?”
He didn’t know, but he had an idea. Sure enough, some of them wore the same robes as the attackers from Deedee’s party. But it wasn’t just them. There were also men wearing dark clothing and holding guns. His blood froze like ice. The mages were here.
“Get out of here!” Zac said to Astrid. “Run. Go somewhere safe.”
“What? No!” She gripped his shoulders. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“I have to find my parents.”
“Mine are here too,” she pointed out. “And—oh shit!”
The men with guns began to fire into the crowd, dispersing them and had them stampeding toward the exits. Meanwhile, two large groups of mages had split up.
Zac had an idea where they would be going. Lucas and Adrianna. Already, he could hear the sounds of growling and clothes ripping as the Lycans began to shift, ready to fight their mortal enemies. But the mages weren’t unprepared. He saw two wolves corner a mage. He laughed and threw something at them—a potion—and burst into a cloud of smoke. The wolves whimpered and cried out as they fell to the floor.
“No! Mom! Uncle Killian!” Astrid cried as she poofed away. She reappeared right by the fallen wolves.
“Astrid! Come back!” Shit. He had to get her away from here, somewhere safe. He called on his wolf, shifting into his animal form as soon as he could, ignoring the pain as his body reshaped itself. He was half-running, trying to get to Astrid. As he sprang across the room, he slowed down when he saw two mages standing over a prone and unconscious Adrianna. Fuck. He couldn’t let them get to her, but Astrid—
A large, gray wolf leapt from out of nowhere and knocked both mages down. It raised its gigantic head and briefly, their eyes met. The wolf’s eyes were a rich cobalt blue. He didn’t know anyone from the New York clan with such a distinct eye color or that color fur. It was really more silver than gray. Its maw opened wide, baring its teeth as it bore down on one of the mages’ head, while a large paw swiped at the other.
Zac sighed with relief inwardly. Adrianna was saved by the wolf, whoever it was. He pushed his wolf’s body forward, making it all the way across the room to stop in front of Astrid as she cradled the white wolf in her arms.
“Mom … Mom …” she cried. “No …”
“She’ll be all right, I’ll take care of her.” Daric said as he materialized beside Astrid. He picked up his mate and then turned to Zac. “The mages are banking on the chaos. You must not let them get to Lucas.”
Zac nodded and turned tail. Astrid would be safe with her father. He’ll bring her to safety. For now, he had to find Lucas and make sure the mages did’t take him.
The entire room was in pandemonium. He guessed that was the plan—to cause as much panic and destruction as possible so the Lycans wouldn’t know what hit them. But he kept his focus, filtering out all the distractions around him until he found—
Lucas!
Two men in black held his arms as he was on his knees. His head hung limply, though he still struggled. Drugged, Zac thought. A man in a red robe stood in front of him.
“You thought you had gotten rid of us!” the man hissed. “But you have merely slowed us down. A new Magus has come forth!” He held up his hand and something began to glow in his hand. No, it wasn’t glowing. It was on fire. The fireball grew larger and larger as he extended his palms. “When I make this sacrifice and take the blood power from this creature, I will be the most powerful Master Mage the wor
ld has ever seen!” He raised his arms high and aimed his sights on Lucas.
He ran as fast as he could, his hind legs giving one last push as he leapt forward. One of the mages holding Lucas down saw him and let out a shout. But it was too late. The man in the red robe released the fireball.
Zac tumbled in front of Lucas and he waited for the heat and flames. But it never came. When he got to his feet he saw why.
No!
His heart ripped into two when he saw the figure engulfed in flames. The long hair, the billowy skirt, and the cape. Astrid had put herself between Lucas and the flames, to save him and stop the mages.
He wasn’t sure what happened next. It was like he was watching a movie play in front of his eyes as his wolf took over. His animal hurtled toward the man in the red robe. He must not have expected it as the man’s red eyes grew wide with fright. The wolf landed on top, pinning him to the ground as the animal went straight for his throat.
The man didn’t even have time to scream as Zac’s wolf ripped out his vocal chords. Warm blood gushed into its mouth, flowing down its jaws. The rage and grief wouldn’t let it stop, as it kept chomping down on the man’s neck and shoulders.
“Zachary, stop! Stop!” came a familiar voice.
He felt himself being lifted away by an invisible force. The wolf continued to struggle, not quite done with its revenge, despite the fact that the man was already dead and half his body practically decimated.
“No!” he half-growled and half-snarled as his human side ripped out of his wolf’s body. He got to his feet. The anger and fury inside him wouldn’t let him stop. He would kill every last one of these mages for what they did to Astrid.
“Zachary, calm down,” Daric said as he appeared in front of Zac. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder to pull him back.
“Calm down! What the fuck, Daric! They killed her! Your daughter! My …” He broke down, the anguish and pain replacing his anger. “Astrid.”
“Zachary, open your eyes.” His voice was oddly calm. “Open your eyes so you can see what’s right in front of you.”
“Open my eyes?” Maybe Daric had gone mad with grief too. “What do you mean?”
Daric stared back at him with those strange, blue-green eyes. “There.”
He looked toward where Astrid’s body had burned right before him. He blinked several times, as he wasn’t sure what he was seeing.
Aunt Lara was kneeling down, her arms around a woman who was completely naked, her face obscured by her blonde hair. Lara had found a length of fabric—probably a table cloth—to wrap around the young woman. When the young woman lifted her head, their eyes locked.
His heart leapt out of his chest. “No, it couldn’t—” But he was already running toward her, unable to control his feet. “Astrid!”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright. “Zac! I don’t understand … I saw that fireball about to hit you and I just … it was hot but I wasn’t burning.”
“You’re alive.” He slipped his hands under her arms and pulled her to him, inhaling that achingly familiar scent. “You’re alive. I thought you’d died.”
“Astrid, darling,” Lara said. “Did you … I mean, you leapt in front of the fireball, but you weren’t burned up?”
She shook her head. “No, Aunt Lara. I mean, I could have sworn I did. But maybe it wasn’t a real fireball?”
“Your clothes were all singed away,” she said. “But you’re unharmed?”
“I guess?” Astrid looked down at her arms. “Nothing. Not a scratch.”
Lara’s gaze darted from Zac to Astrid. “Uh, I might have a theory.”
“What is it?” Zac asked. “What do you know, Aunt Lara?”
“Er,” the older woman hesitated. “Astrid, darling, is there even a small chance you could be … pregnant?”
“Pregnant?” both Zac and Astrid said at the same time.
“Zac, Astrid,” Daric called as he approached them. “What your Aunt Lara is trying to say is that if Astrid is pregnant with her True Mate’s child, it may explain why she didn’t burn in the fire. She’s indestructible.”
Zac allowed the information to sink in. Pregnant. Astrid was pregnant. And it was his. He had no doubt. “Astrid …”
Her face had gone ashen. “I can’t … it’s not …” She turned to her father. “Dad, did you know?”
Daric went silent.
“Astrid,” Zac began. “Talk to me. Please.”
“I need … some …” She tried to stand up, but her legs seemed wobbly, so Zac caught her. “It doesn’t make sense … you and me, True Mates?”
Zac pulled her into an embrace. “It makes perfect sense to me, sweetheart. I told you, I love you.”
“The mages,” she said suddenly. “And Mom!”
“Your mother is fine,” Daric said. “I took her to the Lycan medical facility in The Enclave. And our enemies have been subdued by the Lycan Security Team. We were prepared for them to attack us, but I must admit, we were surprised that they would bring humans with them or that they would be so bold as to stage a head-on attack.”
Lara’s face went pale. “Were the humans under the control of the mages?”
Daric’s face darkened. “It didn’t seem like it.”
“Can I see Mom?” Astrid said.
“She’s still recovering for now. But I will take you to her, when you are ready.”
“For now,” Lara said. “We’ll leave you two to talk. Daric?”
The warlock nodded. “I shall be helping with the cleanup. Call me when you are ready to leave.”
“I will.” She hugged her father.
“Astrid,” Zac began. “Are you really all right?”
“I can’t explain it … but I am. I—”
He embraced her tight, inhaling her scent and reveling in the feeling that she was here. Alive. “I’m so sorry, Astrid. For everything. Please. Forgive me.” He got down on his knees pressed his cheek against her stomach, and then realization dawned that their child was in there. A new life, one that was half of them both. “I know I don’t deserve you. I acted like an idiot, and I should have fought harder for us.
She took a deep breath. “I was so angry at you, that you just left like that. But I know that you were thinking of your mother. What happened to her was horrible, and my dad has had to live with what he did every day. But we can’t keep paying for the mistakes of our parents or living in the past.” She cupped his chin in her hands and tilted his face up. “I don’t know what came over me. I was watching that man, and he was going to hurt you and I just … poofed. I was halfway across the room and I didn’t even think about it. I just appeared where I wanted to be. Because I couldn’t let you die.”
She was crying now, and he got up so he could wipe the tears from her cheeks. “You couldn’t?”
“No. Not without telling you that I love you, too.”
Zac thought he was dreaming. Or that he had died. “Astrid … I love you so much.” He held her beautiful face in his hands and leaned down to claim her lips in a passionate kiss. God, she was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. For days he thought he would never get to hold her in his arms again, and now here she was. “If you forgive me, I promise you I’ll never let you go.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with love. “Just kiss me again, and I’ll forgive everything.”
Chapter Twenty
The cleanup at the Waldorf Astoria took hours. As Daric had explained, the Lycan Security Team had been prepared for an attack, but even though they had run through every scenario, they didn’t expect such a direct assault or counted on any human allies.
They all decided to regroup at The Enclave, in Grant and Frankie’s penthouse, as they were at least sure the magical protections there were still strong. Once again, most of the New York Lycans, plus their allies from San Francisco, were there. They all knew the situation was serious, so even though it was the wee hours of the morning, they all managed to drag themselves there for the deb
riefing.
Astrid sat in one of the loveseats with Zac beside her, his arm around her shoulders. Nick and Cady were the last to enter and she felt Zac stiffen. She reached over and covered his hand with hers.
“… the good news is that there were no casualties on our side,” Grant said as he continued his assessment of the situation. “The bad news is that the mages are back, in bigger numbers, and it seems that they’ve recruited human allies.”
“They’ve been hiding their presence from us,” Daric continued. “And as we have figured out, they are trying to stop the next generation of Alphas from ascending.”
“That mage said the only way he could become a master mage was by taking my ‘blood’s power’,” Lucas said. “What did he mean?”
“Lucas and Adrianna, as the children of two Alphas, are more powerful than any of us know,” Cross said. “It’s not like us hybrids, but they are unique.”
“Lycans used to have the ability to use magic,” Daric said. “And maybe it’s coming back.”
“How?” Adrianna asked. “We don’t have any witch or warlock blood in us.”
“Love is a kind of magic,” Daric said. “And because you are children of two Alphas, born of a True Mate pairing, your blood is more powerful than you think.”
“In any case,” Grant said. “You both will ascend to Alpha as soon as we can arrange for the ceremony.”
“Adrianna.” Frankie turned to her daughter. “You need to move to New Jersey as soon as possible. Consolidate your power and take control of your territory.”
“Consolidate my power?” she asked. “What do you mean?”
Her mother sighed. “The Jersey Clan has grown so much over the past decades, especially with the open border policy your father and I had when we were married. But aside from that, I’m afraid that I’ve been remiss in my duties and have allowed certain forces to run wild, but no more. Not when there’s so much at stake.”
“Lucas, you also need to choose your Beta,” Grant said. “Someone who can be by your side and watch your back. Someone who will protect this clan along with you and help you make the right decisions.”
A Twist of Fate: True Mates Generations Book 1 Page 18