by G. K. DeRosa
A burst of light flashed across my vision forcing my eyes shut, and I slipped. Disoriented by the light, my foot shot out from under me, and I plummeted off the plank.
Chapter Thirteen
My arms shot out as I fell, and by some miracle of the goddess Luna herself, one hand closed around the blasted beam. A collective gasp echoed across the arena. My claws slid out and dug into the wood, and I was able to reach up with my other hand to get a better grip. Dangling over the pit of quicksand, I cursed at Canyon.
He stood at the lip of the trench and sneered down at me. At least he’d stopped shooting his damned sunbeams at me, so that was something. I tried to haul myself back up onto the oversized tightrope, but my grip faltered. Note to self: add in more upper body workouts.
I hazarded a glance down into the swirling sandpit and regretted it immediately. The sand churned and piled up onto itself, long tentacles reaching out for my feet. “What the hell?” I screeched. My fingers ached, my claws threatening to give from my weight. I tried to kick at the swirls of mystical sand, but a tendril closed around my boot and yanked. My biceps straining, I held on and kicked like crazy until the sand creature jerked my shoe off and receded back into the sandy depths.
I glanced down, and my boot had disappeared beneath the abyss within seconds. Another sharp intake of air by the audience. “Damn you, Canyon!” I shouted. Where the hell was Hunter? What happened to his promise?
Hunter! I’m about a second from being swallowed up by a quicksand monster over here. Where the hell are you?
Nothing.
Hunter!
Shift. Okay, Sierra, it’s all on you now. I flipped through the catalog of spells in my mind until I landed on a useful one. Gotcha! Tightening my hold around the beam, I searched for the flicker of magic in my core. It liked to hide out near my wolf. She leisurely pawed at my insides while I hung on for dear life. Come on, girl. Wake up!
I was still having trouble accessing my magic, and the Empress of the Lune Sacré oddly came to mind. What had she said about my purple wolf? Something about her being a gift from the goddess and hiding it messing with fate. Could suppressing her natural hue have something to do with my subdued powers?
As if in answer, a growl reverberated in my belly and a burst of energy filled my core. It’s about freakin’ time. Every muscle in my arms burned, and my claws were beginning to slip. Worse, I’d have to let go with one hand to direct my magic at the sand.
This was it.
Releasing the plank with one hand, I splayed out my fingers at the pit below and shouted, “Congelatum inmediatae!” A blast of violet energy shot from my fingertips and blanketed the churning sands. The surge of power zipped through my veins, rushing through every nook of my being. My claws retracted, and I fell.
I landed in a crouch, on the perfectly frozen surface. By yet another miracle, I managed to remain upright and not slip on the icy pond I’d conjured. I glared up at Canyon and shot him the finger. “Take that, summer faery!”
Before he turned my frozen sculpture into a watery lake with his elemental magic, I climbed up the side of the pit and emerged on the other end. The crowd went wild, their clapping and whoops echoing across the arena. The buzzer sounded, cutting them off and I glanced up at the clock. Just a few seconds shy of three minutes. Ugh.
Today was not going to be my day. On the plus side, I was alive, so there was that.
“Sierra!” Hunter’s panicked cry tore me from my inner mutterings. He flew toward me, his golden wings whipping the air into a tiny tornado. He dropped to the ground before me, fear in his eyes and anger carved into his jaw. And he was soaking wet. He crushed me to his chest, and I buried my nose in his familiar scent. “Oh gods, Sierra. I’m so sorry.” He tightened his hold around me as a wave of fury pummeled through the bond. “Aquor had me pinned underwater, and I couldn’t get out, I couldn’t reach you. He mesmerized me with his damned siren song. I tried to fight him, but I couldn’t break the spell. I could feel your fear, surging through our connection and I’ve never felt so completely powerless.” A tremor laced his tone. “I’m going to kill him,” he growled.
“Yeah, well you can add Canyon to the list.”
He held me out to arms’ length, his concerned gaze scanning every inch of me. My suit was tattered, and a couple scorch marks peeked through the holes. “They did this on purpose. Aquor was trying to distract me to keep me away from you.” His hands squeezed into tight fists as he gritted out the words.
“You knew it would happen if the truth came out about us. You warned me from the start.” I shrugged. “We just have to be more careful from now on.”
He nodded, his jaw clenched tight. “I guess you don’t need me to protect you after all.”
“Turns out I’m pretty badass all by myself.” I smirked.
“I could’ve told you that a long time ago.” He pulled me into his chest again, and despite the damp suit, I wanted to stay in his arms forever.
Rising to my tiptoes, I whispered, “I think it’s time for everyone to see my glowing wolf.”
“Why?” he hissed.
“If I want to survive these games, I’m going to need to be at full power and I have a feeling Terra’s potion is suppressing her somehow.”
“I don’t like it. We don’t even know what her glow means.”
“I know, but my wolf may be the answer to my survival.”
The air thickened the moment we entered my den, and Hunter’s eyes landed on Braxton sprawled across the couch. He was munching on some cereal as he flipped through the local Azarian TV channels. Which must have been completely foreign to him.
Animosity radiated off my mate’s body, more potent than a nuclear bomb as he eyed him. Remind me why he’s still here? Hunter’s voice reverberated through our bond.
Because we have no idea what to do with him, and we know we have to keep him safe.
He grunted and stomped into the small sitting area. At least Braxton sat up at our approach, dropping the box of Cheerios on the table.
“How’d it go with your alpha try outs thing?”
“Alpha Trials,” Hunter barked. He moved beside the couch and loomed over our uninvited guest.
We still hadn’t talked about the fact that Braxton’s arrival had cut us off at a rather critical moment. We’d almost completed the mate bond, and yet, somehow, we’d failed again. Neither of us had discussed when or if we’d give it another try. I wanted Hunter more than anything, but could I turn my back on my duty? On my dad’s last request?
I shook the dismal thoughts away, burying them to a dark corner to deal with later. For now, we had to figure out what to do with Braxton.
“Where’s Cass?” I scanned the den for my friend, but she was nowhere in sight. She had been charged to keep an eye on him for the day. She’d finally given her resignation notice to Ransom’s father which left her free for babysitting duty.
“She went to grab some coffee.”
I sat on the opposite side of the sofa as Hunter continued his aggressive looming. “Was she able to answer some of your questions? I’m sure you have a lot.” My mind whizzed back to the time my mom admitted she was a witch, then to the night I shifted for the first time. It had all been so overwhelming. I sympathized with the guy.
He dragged his hand through his short hair and released a breath. “Yeah, some. She couldn’t really help me with the whole shifting thing.”
“Right. I can definitely help you with that.”
“Like hell,” Hunter snarled. “I’m the supreme beta, and he’s my responsibility. I can do it.”
You just don’t want him seeing me naked! I shot through our link.
Damn right, he growled. The first shift is an intimate thing, and it’s not something I want him sharing with you.
“Technically, I’m his alpha,” I said aloud by accident. As soon as the words were out a huge smile stretched across my face. I had an actual underling—wolfling? Fan-freakin-tastic!
“I don’t
care who does it, as long as I learn how.” He popped another Cheerio into his mouth and grimaced. “I’ve been feeling weird all day. Like there’s a whole army of ants crawling under my skin.”
“The shift is coming on quick since you’re in Moon Valley and surrounded by wolves,” said Hunter. The anger emanating from his pores lessened a notch. He was in beta mode now, and the authority suited him. “Keeping your lupine half caged for twenty-something years is enough to make any beast mad. You’ll need to begin classes at the university right away to learn to control your wolf. He’ll likely be a handful when he first emerges.”
Braxton nodded, seemingly rapt by Hunter’s words. His beta power pulsed in the air, and the guy was hopeless against it.
“I’ll take you out tonight so you can run. We’ll keep to the far edge of the forest in case your wolf tries anything.”
“Tries anything?” Braxton’s eyes widened. They were a light hazel with specs of amber and sage.
“Like I said, after so many years cooped up, there’s no telling what he’ll do. Sierra told me your father was a beta, so it must’ve been a strong bloodline. I’d rather err on the side of caution and keep you away from the valley. Plus, we should avoid prying eyes anyway.”
“Okay…”
“Great,” I said, “now that that’s settled, what are we going to do after your little wolfy romp in the woods? We can’t let anyone else know he’s a Mystic.”
“I’ll talk to Terra and see if she can come up with a potion to conceal his lineage. Then once he’s got a handle on his wolf, in a few weeks, we’ll send him back to the human world where he belongs.”
My eyes darted to Hunter’s. “We can’t. What if someone figures out who he is, and they come after him?”
“Sierra, he’s lived his entire life in hiding. There’s no reason to think he’d be discovered now.”
“Um, yeah, there is. He came to Moon Valley, and he bonded with his wolf. He can’t just go back to being human again.”
Braxton raised his hands, palms toward me. “Whoa, whoa. Timeout. My parents sent me here to stay, to grow the Mystic Pack or whatever. I’ve had all day to think about it, and I’ve made my decision. I may not be happy about all of this, but I’m not going to turn my back on their last wishes. The letter—” He cut himself off, pressing his lips together, and his eyes turned glossy. Clearing his throat, he started again. “They were pretty adamant about what I was supposed to do. I won’t go back to the human world and live the rest of my life in hiding. This is what I was born for, and I intend to follow through with it.”
“You were not born to be her mate,” Hunter growled. “It was an arrangement made by man, not by the goddess.”
Braxton shot Hunter an icy glare I didn’t think the mild-mannered guy capable of. “If you are her fated mate, why haven’t you consummated the bond?”
Hunter’s jaw dropped, every muscle in his body turning to stone.
Dammit, Cass went into a little too much detail.
He slammed his fist into the table and another crack rippled across the old wood. “That’s none of your business,” he roared. “But understand this, Sierra is my mate. Not yours. If you must stay in Moon Valley, fine, but don’t be fooled into thinking you have a future with her.”
“I guess we’ll just have to leave that up to her, won’t we?” Braxton’s brazen stare darted from me to Hunter and back.
Whoa, where did this guy come from? A second in wolf territory and his alpha-hole was starting to show.
The creak of the door opening broke the tense stand-off. Cass burst in with a tray of coffees in one hand and a brown paper bag clutched in the other. “Sorry, I went as fast as I could. I swear I didn’t leave Braxton alone for long.”
“Don’t worry. He seems more than capable of taking care of himself.” I made a beeline for the liquid caffeine, in desperate need of a pick-me-up after the morning I’d had. Grabbing the tall, iced coffee for me and the oversized one for Hunter, purposely avoiding the one for Braxton, I returned to the tense sitting room as Cass dropped all the goodies on the kitchen counter.
“I grabbed some lunch. I figured you guys would be hungry after the trials.” She eyed me, her healer’s instincts kicking in as she scanned my body for injuries. “How’d it go by the way?” Since she wasn’t the official Royal Pack healer anymore, she wasn’t required to attend the events. Terra was trying to get her re-instated as an assistant, and I only hoped it would work. Otherwise, without a job, my friend would eventually have to return to Maginaria, and I was certain I wouldn’t survive in Moon Valley without her.
Cass waved her hand in front of my face when I took too long to answer. “Hello, earth to Sierra? Was it that bad?”
A growl echoed across the small space, vibrating through our bond. Hunter slapped his arms across his chest. “The Lunar males are ganging up on us. That damned faery, Canyon, attacked Sierra at the first event and Aquor used his siren magic to keep me away from her.”
“Dirtbags…” she muttered.
“It’s only going to get worse as the competition intensifies. Luckily, my magic kicked in and saved my wolfy tail from getting sucked into a vat of quicksand.”
Cass’s eyes bulged out of her head, and even more satisfying, was Braxton’s reaction. It was time he knew exactly what he’d been born into. “Thank the goddess,” my friend cried. “We need to double our magical training sessions.”
“I think I have a better idea. I’m starting to believe what the Empress of the Lune Sacré said. It does seem like keeping my wolf hidden is doing more harm than good.” I ticked my head at Braxton, hoping she’d get it. I wasn’t ready to tell my wolfy arranged fiancé about my awesome purple glow just yet. “We have to talk to Terra.”
She nodded, her brows scrunching together. “You might be right about that.”
“See?” I gave Hunter a smug smile.
“Fine, we’ll go see her later today, after we figure out what we’re doing with him.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, and his lips curled into a scowl.
“He can’t just go to MVU. What if someone figures out what he is?” Not that I was the biggest fan of Braxton but keeping him secret was still a priority. There was no reason to have two of us with targets on our backs.
Braxton waved an annoyed hand in my face. “He is standing right here. Don’t I get a say?”
“No,” Hunter barked. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you, Braxton. I don’t give two shits about you, but your survival is linked to that of my mate. There are plenty of wolves in this territory who’d put you down without a second thought. One Mystic is bad enough, but two? Everyone knows what that means.” He puckered his lips as if he’d tasted something foul. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to send you back to the human world where you came from, but I see you’re going to fight me on this.”
“I’m not trying to fight you,” Braxton interjected. “I’m only trying to do the right thing. The moment I set foot in the shifter realm, something clicked. It was like I’d spent my whole life missing something I didn’t even know existed.”
My chest tightened, and my mind flickered back to the day I’d arrived here. I’d felt the same indescribable feeling. It was like coming home.
The hard set of Hunter’s jaw softened, a smidge, and the tendon stopped its mad flutter. “I don’t know what to do with you, Braxton.”
“Just say he’s a Crescent like Vander,” I offered. “No one would have any reason to question it.”
“Unless they see him hanging out with you,” Hunter countered.
“Fine, then, we keep him hidden here until the trials are over. If I win, maybe there won’t be a reason to hide him anymore.”
“He’ll always be a Mystic, Sierra. Both of you will always be feared, and even more so now that there’s a male and a female.”
“Yet another reason we should’ve completed the bond a long time ago,” I blurted. Only this time I wished I hadn’t. Not that I didn’t want to be
his official mate, it just felt wrong so close to Braxton’s arrival. I had to at least consider the good of our pack, didn’t I?
An uneasy silence pervaded the room, and I wanted to smack myself and my loose tongue.
Hunter stalked toward me, worry creasing his brow. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Tyrien’s back, and I’ve been summoned.” He pointed at his temple.
I’d been so distracted I hadn’t even noticed his eyes glazing over while he spoke through the pack link.
“Okay. Let me know how it goes with your father.”
Hunter snorted and strode out of my den without even a goodbye kiss. He turned back at the last minute and pointed at Braxton. “Stay put until I come back this evening. Just remember, everything you do puts her at risk. She’s your alpha and your duty is to protect her at all costs.”
Braxton’s head dipped, and he slumped onto the couch.
My shoulders rounded, a heavy weight dragging them down the moment the door slammed behind Hunter. What the hell was I going to do with a fated mate and an arranged one?
Chapter Fourteen
Hunter
* * *
Grayson’s dark lips curled into a smile as I approached my father’s chamber. The damned wolf guard was sneering at me. I’d gathered Tyrien was pissed by his tone when he’d summoned me to the lair, but perhaps I’d underestimated the scope of his anger. Too bad I didn’t give a shit.
The moment I understood my father’s intentions regarding my mate, he’d lost any remaining hold he had over me. I didn’t need him anymore. I’d start a new family with Sierra, gods be damned.
And mortals, for that matter.
Braxton was a twist I hadn’t seen coming. I couldn’t deny the overwhelming guilt that assaulted my insides since his arrival. Should I be the better man and let her go? As the alpha heir I knew my pack should come first. Shouldn’t the same be true for Sierra?