With a short nod, they continued to walk toward the center of a group of five campers.
“Sandy, who have you brought to us?” A strong male walked up to the woman with blonde hair. They shared a quick kiss and she turned toward Pico and Celina.
“They are here to talk to Axel, so behave, Suds.” Sandy smiled at them. “Stay with Suds while I get Axel.” Sandy walked away. More of the pack started to surround Pico and his mate. No one had clothes on and Pico scented Celina’s discomfort.
“You’re pretty.” A little girl walked toward Celina. Pico sniffed the air and realized this little girl had a mixed scent of wolf and witch, making her scent unique.
“So are you, sweetheart.” Celina bent down to look at the little girl of about four or so, just a bit younger than Alia. Pico’s heart ached. I will see Alia soon. He repeated this till a large male walked toward them, the crowd parting for him as he took long strides.
“Annie, go see your mother,” Axel growled. Pico recognized the male from childhood.
“Yes, Daddy.” Annie walked toward Axel and then weaved through the crowd.
“So, Ian sent you to talk?” Axel stood talk and met Pico’s gaze.
“Yep. I see you’re now the makeshift leader.” Pico would have called him the alpha but since Bev had control he didn’t want to cause more problems.
“You could say that. I see you finally have your mate back.” Axel nodded toward Celina.
“Yeah. Just a special as your mate.” Pico knew most wouldn’t get the reference but Axel’s eyebrow rose before taking in Celina.
“I see. What do you want?” Axel crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Is Bev planning on attacking Ian?” The crowd turned completely silent, the sunset bringing a chill to the air.
“Why would I tell you?”
“I have a feeling most of this pack doesn’t like Bev and would be happy to part ways, leaving you to be the alpha.” Pico took in a deep breath hoping his assumptions were correct.
“Bev wants too much and made the last alpha bow down.” Axel spat on the ground.
“How?” Pico didn’t understand how an alpha would just give up his pack without a fight.
“He took the alpha’s son and mate. Threatened to kill them but when the alpha bowed down, none of them were heard from again.” Axel growled low. “He was weak but I’m not.”
“Then let’s arrange a meeting between you and Ian to get a truce. Without out his manpower, he won’t be able to attack.”
“He has two more nomad packs. One is loyal but the other isn’t. We can get them with us if things get hairy.” Axel motioned for them to follow him. Pico had Celina lead so he could watch her back. He remembered little Axel had always wanted power but with the alpha and his son so strong he couldn’t take them so he left at sixteen.
Axel opened a large trailer and motioned for them to enter. A woman stood in the kitchen while Annie sat at the table coloring.
“Honey, we’ll need more...” The woman looked up to Celina and Pico enter, followed by Axel.
“They are friendly, my love. Brandy, this is Celina and Pico.”
“Nice to see another witch around a pack of wolves.” Brandy smiled. Her hair was cut short.
“Nice to meet you too.” Celina smiled and shook her hand.
“Told you she was pretty, Mommy,” Annie said from the table.
“Can she shift and do magic?” Celina pointed toward Annie.
“Yes, she can do both.” Brandy smiled.
“Let’s talk in there.” Axel pointed toward the back of the trailer. Celina kissed him quickly and Pico followed him. He just hoped Axel was strong enough to lead these wolves because without them, Bev would attack Pico’s pack, making it unsafe for his little girl.
Now he needed to figure out where his daughter was.
CHAPTER NINE
Celina
Celina woke up with a start and scanned the room she was in. Pico rubbed her back, calming her down and she realized she was in his house. She had successfully helped him get the nomad pack with them but today would be a big day. Once they’d arrived back last night they had more sex then passed out. On the way back, Pico had been on the phone with Ian, the alpha discussing the plan with Axel. They hadn’t had a chance to really talk about Alia. She missed her little girl’s smile and laugh.
“Where is Alia?” Pico leaned up and met her gaze.
“She’s with my sister back in Ohio. I had no clue how long it would take to find you. I didn’t want to be searching for months and take her away from her studies.”
“I see.” Pico didn’t say anything else. Celina decided to change the topic. He already seemed agitated for some reason.
“What if your plan doesn’t work?” Celina turned toward Pico, who rubbed his arms like they hurt.
“Ian is sure it will. He doesn’t have a mate or children Bev can hold over his head. Man, my wolf is agitated.” Pico shook his head.
“Which makes this plan even more dangerous. What happens if Ian dies?” The long pause from Pico made her nervous.
“I would become the next alpha unless he surrenders the pack to Bev before death.”
“You would be the alpha,” Celina said the words but she couldn’t comprehend them at the moment.
“The plan will work. Axel is talking to the other pack not loyal to Bev and then we will have plenty of manpower to protect the territory.”
“It also has to depend on a witch using magic too.” Celina shoved her hands through her hair.
They climbed into the shower and ate a quick breakfast, they were due to be at Ian’s house soon but Celina’s stomach didn’t want to take anything in. The damn nerves had her stomach in knots.
Celina grabbed her phone and called Jina’s phone to talk to Alia.
“Hello,” Jina answered with a sneer.
“I would like to talk to Alia please.”
“She isn’t here.” Jina’s voice raised a bit. Celina wondered if her sister would actually lie to her.
“Where is she?” Celina glanced at Pico for a moment then looked at the table, trying to focus on the background noise.
“She’s out.”
“Jina, give Alia the damn phone. I can hear the cartoons in the background.” Celina grew more irritated every passing second. She needed to hear her little girl’s voice to make sure she was doing okay.
“You left her in my care, Celina. I’m watching out for her,” Jina said before the sound of a door being closed filtered through the phone.
“Damn it, Sister, this is my daughter. I’m coming back on Monday. I wanted to tell her the good news myself.”
“I will tell her when she gets back.” The line died, leaving Celina more irritated than worried. Her damn sister needed to get the damn stick out of her ass.
“If we can get this stuff fixed today, I want to leave to get Alia tomorrow. I don’t care if I have to drive again.” Celina shoved her hands through her hair and met his gaze.
“Why is Jina doing this? Why did you leave her there again?”
“She is the only family I have other than you Pico. I didn’t think she would get all ‘momma bear’ with my daughter.” Celina ground her teeth together.
“We better get going then. We can talk everything over tonight.” Pico stood and they walked out of his house. Soon she would be able to call it her home when her stuff arrived. At the moment, it didn’t have any feminine touches to it other than in the kitchen, thanks to Pico’s mother.
They arrived at Ian’s place but the whole property was eerily quiet. There were wolves hanging out up front and outside and when Pico parked the truck everyone stared at him. Something isn’t right.
Pico grabbed her hand and they moved toward the white house white house. The alpha had a nice place with nothing but land behind the structure. When they crossed the threshold, a horrible smell reached her nose, making her want to vomit. Pico’s grip tightened on Celina’s hand and she followed his gaze.
A wolf in mid-shift was strung up and cut across the neck and then a cut was made the length of his body, leaving his internal organs on the floor. Celina couldn’t hold it back anymore, she vomited her breakfast out onto the wooden floors.
“What happened?” Pico growled out. Kimberly walked up to Celina and handed her a glass of water.
“Your father wanted to be here early to help Ian out and we found him like this.” Kimberly’s voice shook. “Drink, my dear.”
“Mom, help Celina get washed up while I help Pico get Ian down,” Ricky spoke to Kimberly, who was rubbing Celina’s back.
“Ricky, get a few more in here to help clean up the mess.” Kimberly shook her head while ushering Celina up the steps.
“I really wish you didn’t have to see that.” Kimberly smiled and Celina coughed a bit.
“Who would do that?” Celina moved into a bathroom to swish around some water and calm her body down.
“We will go back down when you’re ready, my dear.”
“Would Bev really kill Ian?” Celina dabbed a towel against her lips trying to drag her feet a bit. She’d never seen a dead body like that, her parents weren’t mutilated when they were killed in the car crash.
“I’m not sure my, dear. I caught a scent that I’m not familiar with but Pico will have to make the decision to act on it.
“Why...” Celina was about to ask why her mate had to be the one to decide when the memory of their conversation from earlier filled her mind. “Fuck, he’s the new alpha,” Celina hissed.
“Which makes you the alpha female my dear.” Kimberly’s soft voice vibrated in her brain. Celina looked in the mirror, the urge to vomit again twisted her already empty stomach. She swallowed hard and turned to Kimberly.
“They have the bleach out so that means Ian is outside.” Kimberly gave her a short smile. The woman had a sense of cheerfulness to her that wasn’t showing because of the present situation.
“I’m as ready as I will ever be.” Celina turned off the light in the bathroom and headed for her changing future. She had only planned on finding Pico and being happy but now her mate was the damn alpha. What should I do? Should I run back home and forget, or stay and accept every Wiccan change?
CHAPTER TEN
Pico
“Alpha?” An older male Pico barely knew looked at him with waiting eyes, Pico still couldn’t believe he was now the damn alpha. His wolf inside him grew a bit stronger with every passing hour and his muscles seemed to grow a bit too. Over the next three days, his whole body would change, bulking up to better protect the pack.
“What was the question again?”
“What do you want to do to find Ian’s killer?” The older male was patiently waiting for Pico to figure out what the hell he wanted.
“Have Branden and Corey follow the scents and report when they reach the border. I want to know if it goes south or north. Once we know that, we can figure out how to proceed.” Pico sighed. The older male nodded and walked away.
“Is this really happening?” Celina’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. He turned to find Celina standing in the door way.
“We will find who is responsible and make it safe again for you and Alia. I promise you this, Celina.” Pico didn’t want his little girl to be in danger. Celina walked into his arms and took in a deep breath. His parents walked out to the back yard.
“The house is pretty clean over all, it shouldn’t be too hard to move you in.” Kimberly smiled. “Just give me a list of what you want to keep and what you don’t and we can start tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?” Celina asked.
“As the alpha, I have to live in the ‘alpha house’ so everyone knows where to go.” Pico didn’t want to fucking move but it was one of those unspoken rules few actually knew.
“We have to live here?” Celina nibbled on her lower lip and pulled at her hair.
“I’m sorry but yes.” Kimberly leaned into her mate, fear in her eyes, while she watched Celina.
“I need a moment.” Celina turned and walked away from the house. Pico watched her but didn’t follow. They still hadn’t discussed if she would stay here permanently or if she’s just come for a booty call. All this was a lot even for him but he had a feeling Celina wasn’t taking it too well.
“You should be going after her,” Kimberly hissed.
“Mother, she won’t run away. I’m the one who was forced to leave last time. I’m pretty sure she wants to be with me even with all of this shit.” Pico growled low. He knew his mother meant well but her pushy nature drove him crazy some days.
“You could be on the top of a hit list, son. She might not want your daughter on that list like she is now too.” Ricky added.
“I will let her sort this shit out for a bit on her own, then I will talk to her.” A howl sounded from the front and everyone stiffened. Pico turned to Celina who stopped walking. She turned to face Pico.
“Alpha, Bev is here.” A young girl whispered before running back into the house. The older male he’s talked to earlier walked into the back yard again.
“Do you have news about where it came from?” Pico asked. He needed to know if the male in front of his house was here to kill him or trying to side with him. If the trail led south then Reggie was behind the death of Ian.
“The trail splits. One headed south toward Lancaster while the other lead north.” The old man rubbed his hands over his face. “It appears that they are working together.”
Pico motioned for Celina to come back and she sighed before walking toward the house.
“What?”
“We have major problems.” Pico filled her in on what he knew about Reggie and Bev.
“Axel is here too, alpha.” The old man added.
“Is his mate here as well?” Celina asked. The man nodded.
“Well, looks like it’s now or never to get rid of Bev before we focus on taking on Reggie.” Pico pulled Celina in for a kiss and hugged his parents. He had no idea if he would survive the next hour, so he showed his affections when he had the chance. Just in case.
“Be careful,” Kimberly whispered in his ear before she let go of him.
“Keep close,” Pico said to his mate and she nodded once. They headed through the house and back out, where more than fifty pack mates of his stood on one side while Bev stood with about eighty of his pack mates. If Axel wasn’t on their side then they would be defeated.
Pico stood tall and met Bev’s gaze. He was the new alpha and an alpha didn’t bow to anyone. Even though he was new to the position, his blood and wolf knew what to do. His wolf crouched low, ready to spring forward at any moment.
“I hear there is a new alpha in town.” Bev made his voice boom over the crowd.
“You heard correctly. What do you want Bev?” His pack parted for him and Celina so the two alphas were only a few feet away from each other.
“Well, I came here to offer the old alpha a deal but I see I will have to offer it to you instead.” There was a hint of delight as he spoke.
“What offer?” Pico growled.
“I can bring peace to your pack, all you have to do is surrender the alpha position, and I will take over.”
“Why in the hell would I do that?” Pico glared, the delight in Bev’s face fading a bit.
“You should because you’re not strong enough to protect this pack,” Bev spoke as if this was obvious to anyone.
“We will respectfully decline.” Pico puffed out his chest a bit. “This alpha will protect this pack until my last fucking breath.”
“You’re not being very smart, just like Ian.”
“So, do you admit to coming into the late alpha’s house and slitting his throat, or were you the distraction so Reggie could do the deed?” Pico quickly glanced at Axel, who nodded quickly before his eyes moved back to Bev.
“Ian wouldn’t be dead if he only had agreed to my terms. I see you have more to lose than he did.” Bev’s gaze flashed over to Celina.
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“I wouldn’t test my mate, Bev. She may not be a wolf but she has her own powers of persuasion.”
“Get her,” Bev growled to a male standing next to him. After a few steps, the younger male started screaming and dropped to his knees.
“I can kill you in a heartbeat. Leave before I get really angry. You have threatened my alpha and you have threatened me. You’re damn lucky my child isn’t here or you would be dead by now,” Celina said through her teeth while the male continued to scream. After a moment of silence broken only by the male crying out, she finally released him from the spell she had cast.
“You better take your pack before she follows through on her threat.” Pico waited for him to make his choice. In a flash, all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Celina
Celina had been prepared for what was to come but seeing it in real life was a completely different story. Wolves attacking wolves while she stood there trying not to get hit by an attacker. Their teeth were sharp as hell and she didn’t want to be on the biting side of them. Pico lunged into his wolf form and fought with Bev. Brandy appeared next to Axel and waved her hand a few times.
Celina knocked out a few wolves coming after her. Pico and Bev continued to scuffle, neither one having the edge. Celina moved forward and so did Brandy and Axel. Each side had an item from each other to channel each other’s magic, this was old magic but it worked better for more powerful spells. Axel leaped into the fray in his wolf form with Pico, and Brandy nodded.
Celina started a chant with Brandy to create a barrier around the three alphas. The witches were vulnerable inside the barrier but they didn’t want to be on the outside of it where anyone could get the drop on them.
The magic pulsed from her body as a shield surrounded the five of them. Her eyes focused on Pico as he attacked Bev then blocked another advance. A wolf on the outside bounced off the barrier.
“Don’t you dare,” Kimberly yelled, catching Celina’s attention. The older woman shifted into a wolf with brown hair and hints of gray. Another wolf attacked from the other side and the woman struggled to survive with two wolves attacking her. Celina was helpless as she watched his mate’s mother dying as when of them wrapped his mouth around her throat. Kimberly fell into a heap, her body shifting back in to her human form as she gasped for breath.
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