Apparently, a group of kids had been playing hide and seek, and Mark had hidden a little too well and fell down into the ravine. He’d tried to get back up but lost his way. People had been looking for him and had even been on their way to ask Cheyenne and the other girls for help.
But Cheyenne and the others had found him first.
“Thank you for starting the job, Cheyenne. You did what I would’ve done at first. And the fact that Dawn was here to help take away his pain because she’s been learning that trick as a maternal dominant helped everything. You did everything I would’ve done. And, frankly, when we finish with Blade, I’d love for you to come work with us. I know you haven’t figured out exactly what you want to do within this Pack, but Leah and I could use you. You’re a wonderful healer, and I know that you’re a vet, and there will always be jokes, but you’re family now. You’re Pack. Welcome.”
Warming from those words, Cheyenne found herself standing in the middle of a den, people walking all around her. But her eyes were only for Max. She felt like she was finally connected to something. Not only to the man walking towards her, but to the others who gave her nods of appreciation and came up to hug her and tell her thank you for helping with Mark. Word apparently spread fast when it came to the pups.
Max cupped her face in his hand and brushed his lips along hers. “I hear you’ve had a busy afternoon. Are you okay?”
She kissed his jaw and then leaned against his chest. “I was scared, but he’s going to be okay. I just don’t like the sounds when I have to set a bone.”
“The moon goddess gave the maternals the ability to help with that pain,” Max began. “Dawn is still new to using it, but she’s getting better at it. And I bet at some point, Dhani will figure out if she can use her powers as a spirit witch to help. Knowing her, she’s going to find a way to help all the children in this den. You did wonderful. Aimee found everybody in time. And you set the leg so Walker didn’t have to break it before he Healed it. That’s the problem with shifters, even pups who are just learning how to shift. We heal far too quickly, but not in the right way all the time.” Max looked down at his arm, and she was aware that everyone around them was most likely able to hear, but he spoke anyway.
“Being a shifter and being able to heal saved my life. It couldn’t save my arm, but I’m still here.” He blew out a breath and changed the subject. “You did a good job. And Walker told me on the way here that he offered you a job. I’m kind of glad that he did because I was going to have to beat him up if he didn’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to do that. I can stand up for myself.”
“I know you can. But I guess that’s what a mate is for. I don’t really know, I’m still learning my way around this.”
She smiled, but before she could say anything else, she threw back her head and screamed. Power surged through her, pouring out of her fingertips and her mouth. It felt like someone was taking a cattle prod and stabbing her over and over again. Electricity hummed through her body, and her blood felt as if it boiled. Max had his arms around her, and others were coming near to help or attack if needed. Cheyenne knew what was happening, though.
The artifact was in use.
And Blade had just killed someone else.
Power thrummed through her body, making her shake. She knew blood was seeping from her nose, her eyes, and even her mouth.
The artifact was killing her.
The power was too much for her human body to bear.
But there was no way she could stop it.
And then the power went away as quickly as it had come.
And she lay in Max’s embrace, knowing she was helpless. Knowing that Blade had killed someone else. And knowing there was nothing she could do except try to find a way to use the connection against him or stop it altogether.
There had to be a way.
BLADE
Blade wiped the blood from his mouth and then turned away so he could make his way to his quarters before the others saw him. He’d killed two wolves from a Pack in the Midwest, stripping their Alpha’s power for a few minutes before giving it back as a form of goodwill.
He shouldn’t feel this weak. The only reason he’d killed any of the wolves at all was because he needed their lifeforce to hold onto the artifact. The damn stone was killing him. Taking off a year at a time, killing him breath by breath if he didn’t find a way around it.
So, he killed the weak and stole their energy. That was how he was able to move at all right then. He would be fine soon, he always was, but there was something wrong.
Something was blocking him. Blocking the power.
He was supposed to be the Conduit, the strength.
And the only person who could be in his way was the one who should have died.
“That bitch,” he growled, wiping the rest of the blood from his face.
Cinnamon…Cheyenne…his sacrifice had to be alive.
And was in his way.
“Not for long.”
Not. For. Long.
Chapter Twelve
“Want a beer?” Mitchell asked, his head in the fridge.
Max nodded and then realized he must be tired since Mitchell couldn’t see him. Instead, he said, “Yeah.”
His brother pulled out two, opened them, and handed one over to him before taking a drink of his. “Want to talk about it?”
“About what? The fact that my mate almost died in my arms? Again. Or the fact that Cheyenne and I are moving along at breakneck speed like nothing is wrong?”
Mitchell raised a brow. “First, that’s how mating works. Or at least how it used to work. You find your potential mate, you follow the mating urge, you create the bond and, boom, you have to deal with all of the emotional and mental issues that come with falling for a person because of a paranormal bond before you fall for them like a human. We’re not entirely human, Max. We’re wolves. We go about things differently. Honestly, the fact that Cheyenne is going along with all of this like she is tells me that she’s far stronger than I thought she was.”
Max growled. “You thought my mate was weak?”
Mitchell rolled his eyes before taking a seat next to him on the couch. “You know that’s not what I meant. You’re just at the start of your mating, and you’re territorial.”
Max still growled just a little bit but tilted his beer towards his brother. “I’m having one of those days, maybe don’t test me?”
“Considering you’re letting me test you at all, I think that counts as progress.”
Max didn’t say anything to that, and really wasn’t in the mood or ready to deal with any of it. He knew his brother wasn’t pushing at him on purpose, he was doing it out of care. Trying to see if Max was healed and ready to be part of the family again. But Max needed some time to figure out exactly who he was, and who he was with Cheyenne before he stopped hiding in the shadows.
“Are the others coming? Or are we heading to the elders’ house to meet them there?” Max was at Mitchell’s place, having some brother time before they went to the elders’ area and met with Xavier and the rest. It seemed the elders needed to talk with the Brentwoods—and Cheyenne especially.
Max didn’t know why that sent chills down his spine, but maybe it had to do with the fact that the elders were searching—along with Cheyenne and Max—for information about the origins of the artifact and what it meant for the present. And considering that his mate was tightly connected to that? He wasn’t sure he wanted any of the answers.
“The cousins are coming here, at least the men are. We’re going to meet the women there. Brie and the others wanted some girl time before they had to say goodbye to the kids and meet us for the family meeting. Although, is it really a family meeting when we have to meet with the elders?”
“Yeah, I guess it’s not really just family when we have to deal with the end of the world.”
“You’re saying meeting with the elders is the end of the world?”
“It sur
e feels like it some days.” Max let out a breath, using his thumb to peel back the label on the beer bottle. He needed something to do, and he was too stressed to think about what was really important. Even as he thought that, the only things on his mind were Cheyenne and the fact that she had almost died the day before. “She almost died, Mitchell.” His voice cracked, and he didn’t bother clearing his throat.
His brother was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. “I know. And I know it must have hurt you to be there, to hold her during that. But she’s okay right now. And we’re going to find a way to fix this.”
“I don’t know about that. I want to believe in happily ever afters and fate and all of that, but it’s hard to when I saw what happened to every single one of you when you found your mates. The world keeps coming at us, keeps trying to pull us apart. We’ve lost friends, family, we’ve lost so many in the wars. It’s hard to believe that there can be peace when every time we turn around, a new enemy tries to take it away. I thought we were finally safe after our dad died, after our uncles finally died. And then we heard about that demon attacking the Redwood Pack. We didn’t lose anyone in that battle, but the Redwoods lost so much.”
Mitchell nodded. “And they’re stronger now, although the scars run deep.”
“So deep that you can see it in their eyes sometimes. I mean, Brynn almost lost her mate even before she met him because of it. And then she almost lost him again because of it later.” Brynn was their cousin, who had mated into the Redwood Pack.
We all have scars, some more than others.” Mitchell gave him a pointed look, but Max just shrugged. He knew his scars, knew they weren’t going away even with magic. There were some things that wolves just couldn’t heal.
“And then we had years of peace after the Redwoods found theirs. And then the humans came, all because of our uncle, Leo.”
“He was the one who started it, but I think, in the end, humans would’ve found out who we were no matter what. It’s too hard to hide, and too many of the wrong people knew the magic existed. I think…give us a couple more decades, it’ll be good. I want my children to be able to live in a world where they don’t have to hide who they are. And I know that seems far-fetched, but maybe it can actually happen one day.”
“I want your children to have that, as well.”
“Do you not want kids, then?”
“I never thought I would have them. I don’t know. I always felt like I was going to be the fun uncle. Even before everything changed and I lost my hand. I just never saw a mate in my future. I was already happy. Now, it just feels like it was so long ago that that person was me. I don’t know what Cheyenne wants. I don’t think we’re there yet. We’re still trying to figure out how our human halves work together even though my wolf is already ready for her. But she’s dying, Mitchell. Every time it hits her, it takes her longer to recover, and it’s slowly draining her life from her. She’s dying because I can’t figure out how to disconnect her from that artifact. And I know that she wants to find a way to use that power against Blade, but I don’t know if she’s strong enough. Hell, I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
And that scared him more than he wanted to admit. He had spent so long trying to figure out how to put himself back together, he wasn’t sure he’d done it right. He wasn’t sure that he could find the strength to do what had to be done to keep his Pack safe.
Because if he had to lose his mate after just finding her to stop the end of the world? He wasn’t sure he would be on the right side of history.
But that wasn’t something he could tell Mitchell, not that he didn’t believe his brother hadn’t already figured out what he was thinking anyway. Mitchell would die for Dawn, would sacrifice anything.
But would any of his family members sacrifice the Pack to save their mates?
That, he didn’t know. And Max didn’t know the answer for himself either.
Before they could get any deeper into their conversation, the rest of the Brentwood men showed up as one, as if they’d all left at the same time. Gideon looked ready to punch something, but his cousin, his Alpha, didn’t appreciate being summoned. Even if it was Xavier and the other elders, Gideon did not like to be told what to do unless it had to do with Brie. He figured that Brie was the only one who dared to tell Gideon what to do on a daily basis, even though their wolves were so different.
Finn was there, as well, surprising Max. Finn was the Redwood Heir but was over with the Talon Pack often. His cousin-in-law scented of Brynn and the baby, Mackenzie. Max figured that they had left their daughter at home with the other Redwoods. Goddess knew there were enough children over there—enough for an army.
Since Brynn wasn’t with Finn, Max knew that his cousin was likely with the other women for their alone time. Ryder came in behind Finn, a frown on his face, but he didn’t look as angry as Gideon. Ryder was usually off in his own little world, and when his cousin looked over his shoulder, Max figured it had to do with what Ryder saw in the shadows. Ryder could see death, which always worried Max, but if anyone could handle it, it was Ryder.
Two other members joined them in the room that weren’t Brentwoods. Shane and Bram were lieutenants, who not only worked for Kameron under his role as the Enforcer but were part of Gideon’s guard, as well. They had pretty much become family over time, and since their mate was Charlotte, who was Finn’s cousin, they were one big, happy family.
Max was pretty sure he needed a family tree in order to figure out who was related to whom, but in the end, they were all Talons or connected to them.
Parker and Brandon walked in hand in hand in the middle of the conversation, although Max heard the word “Avery” muttered under Parker’s breath, so they had to be talking about their mate. It wasn’t uncommon for triads to happen in werewolf Packs, and the fact that they’d had two in such a short timeframe just told Max that their Pack was growing stronger.
Walker and Kameron came in at the end, also conversing—about a sports team of all things. How anyone had time to talk about sports in a world where their lives seemed on the precipice all the time, Max didn’t know. But he also knew that Walker and Kameron were constantly on call, and always leaving their warm beds and their mates every night. So, if they needed to talk about something silly that had nothing to do with the dangers surrounding them, Max would let them be.
There was so much testosterone in the room, Max knew Cheyenne would have probably made a joke about it if she were here. He missed her, and he’d seen her less than an hour ago. He didn’t like to be away from her, not when everything was so fresh and raw. He’d almost lost her, and it had taken Walker actually Healing her to make her okay again. Max’s hand had been covered in blood, his mate’s blood, and Cheyenne had just looked at him, her eyes wide with pain.
One of the Packs in the Midwest had contacted them to let them know that they’d lost another set of wolves, all thanks to Blade. Their Alpha had lost his power before he’d been given it back. It seemed that Blade was going through each Pack, one by one, showing his might.
And some of the weaker Packs were already thinking of buckling. Honestly, Max didn’t blame them, not when they didn’t have the strength and numbers to fight back.
Things seemed pretty bleak, and if he and Cheyenne and the elders weren’t quick about it, they may start losing some Packs to Blade and his so-called Supreme Alpha title.
“Does anyone know what this meeting is about?” Kameron asked, a beer in his hand. In fact, every single one of them had a beer in hand, even though not all of them were truly drinking it. They just needed something to do, something to have in their hands. Although there were no more sports conversations, just discussions about elder meetings and the end of the world. Because that was their life now. In fact, that was how their life had been for far too long.
“I don’t know, but I think it has to do with our newest member,” Gideon put in, turning towards Max. Max kept Gideon’s gaze for a moment before lowering his eyes. He might
be strong, might be dominant, but he was nowhere near Gideon’s power.
“I don’t like the fact that it feels like it’s a show, but that’s the elders for you,” Max muttered. “I just want to know what they found because Cheyenne and I haven’t found a single thing.”
“We’re going to figure this out,” Brandon said, his voice soft. Max’s cousin was the Omega. And Max knew that Brandon was slowly leaching the fear and the tension from the room, pulling it into himself through the bonds. Parker had his arm around Brandon, steadying his mate. Max couldn’t feel Brandon work on him, probably because he was so tense, his defenses in place so much that Brandon couldn’t reach him. Brandon looked at him, and Max shook his head. He didn’t want help, not then. He let his cousin in occasionally on the battlefield, but it wasn’t often. Max needed time. Time to heal. Time to think. And he needed the emotions. He couldn’t focus if he didn’t have those feelings pushing at him.
“We’re going to take Blade out, no matter what.” Gideon’s pronouncement wasn’t anything new, but for some reason, it worried Max. Because he knew that every single person in the room had a feeling Cheyenne was fully connected to the artifact.
And if they had to get rid of the artifact, what if that meant they had to get rid of her?
They met up with their mates on the way to the elder meeting. The elders were located on the opposite end of the den from Max’s home. They had their own little space away from children and the other Pack members who might harm them. It wasn’t that they were in any physical danger, more mental. The elders had so much history in their minds, so much power in their veins. It had nothing to do with dominance, just age itself, and sometimes being around others was too much for them. Things had changed over time, Xavier for one. But it was still hard for the elders to be around so many wolves at once.
And considering there were so many Brentwoods right then, Max wasn’t sure how long this meeting would last.
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