by G. K. DeRosa
“I guess we’ll find out the more I practice.”
He didn’t answer, but the vein throbbing on his forehead told me his mind was spinning. I could practically see smoke coming out of his ears.
“What?” I finally said.
He seared me with his emerald eyes, the deep green signaling his wolf had receded and human, logical, Hunter was in control. “You’re a brand new wolf, completely new to magic, to your powers. If you were able to do that in such a short time, it’s no wonder Tyrien is obsessed with you. He’s terrified of you. You’re the alpha, Sierra, the strongest of the Mystics. Once your powers have fully kicked in, there’s no telling what you’ll be able to do.”
“Well, geez, when you put it that way, you make it sound horrifying.”
He reached out his hand, and I eyed it skeptically. “Please?”
“You were a complete ass tonight, Hunter.”
He wiggled his fingers, beckoning my hand to his. My fingers closed around his palm a second later. Super abilities or not, I was powerless against my mate. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I know I was out of control at the pub, but I just couldn’t stop myself. My wolf took over completely and I just couldn’t—” His teeth ground together. “I couldn’t stop seeing his hands on you, his lips on yours…” A growl ripped through his clenched jaw, and the gold eclipsed the green.
I squeezed his hand, trying to calm the wolf. “None of that matters. It didn’t mean anything. He was drunk and desperate. We have to remember that this is all new to him, and he has less control than any of us. He’s been thrown into our world without a single friend or family member. I had you and Cass, and he has no one. He’s just trying to do what’s right for the Mystics, for the memory of his parents.”
“I know,” he grated. “But it’s not only that, Sierra. You’re gorgeous, strong, and smart, and he wants you. Anyone would have to be blind not to.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I only want you.” I dropped a quick kiss on his nose. “Even if you behaved like a royal alpha-hole tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
Shaking my head, I sat down beside him. “What are we going to do about Braxton? We can’t keep him hidden forever. I was thinking about getting Terra’s help, but what if it does more harm than good. Like with the potion?”
“Let’s sleep on it.” A mischievous smirk tilted up the corner of his kissable lips. “If you’ll let me stay after my terrible behavior, that is?”
I was useless against that smile. I didn’t think there was anything Hunter could do that I couldn’t forgive him for. He was my mate, and I’d love him until the day I died.
Chapter Nineteen
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Braxton grumbled as he nursed his coffee. He sat on the barstool, scowling up at me.
“Obviously you do, after the stunt you pulled last night.” Vander poured himself a cup before settling beside me.
“It won’t happen again. I just needed to let loose a little. Now it’s out of my system, and I’m good.”
Vander shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Hunter wants you watched, so here I am.”
Braxton grunted, buried his nose back into his coffee and stomped into the living room.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said, turning to Vander. “Cass will be back from seeing Terra in a few hours so at least you guys can hang out.” I shot him a playful wink.
His cheeks rosied, and my heart just about melted. I still couldn’t imagine what sort of dark past Vander could possibly have.
“I’m glad you and my bestie are hitting it off. If all goes well, we could have a double wedding.”
Vander nearly choked on his coffee, coughing and spluttering.
“Too soon?”
He grabbed a paper towel and wiped his chin and cup. “Yes, way too soon, Sierra.” Shaking his head, he gave me an indulgent smile. “Does that mean you’ve finally gotten our supreme beta on board?”
“Almost.” I could’ve sworn Braxton’s head twitched in our direction as I answered. I’d wondered if Hunter had told his best friend how close we’d been to completing the bond the night my betrothed showed up. Now, I guessed not.
“And where exactly are you and Hunter headed off to hunt today?”
I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the neatly folded map. Dots of dried blood splotched the diagram of the southeast corner of the United States. I pointed at a crimson cluster in the center of Florida. “Here.”
Vander’s brows shot up. “Cass’s scrying finally worked?”
I shook my head. “I did it. I guess my purple wolf is the key to unlocking my magic. That and her blood.”
“Wow, how’d you figure that out?”
“It’s always about the blood with you supes.” I shot him a teasing wink. “My wolf’s the closest tie to my magic so I figured why not give it a try, then coupled with using myself as a direct link to scry, it finally worked.” I motioned at the blood splotches across the map. “The only problem is she seems to be moving a lot. As soon as I get a lock on her, I lose it. So we’ll have to move quickly once we find her.”
“Sounds like a solid plan, Sierra. I wish you guys luck.”
“Thanks, Van.” I glanced at the clock and grabbed my bag with my scrying supplies. It was time to meet Hunter so we could take the portal to the human world. Before I darted out, I spun back and called out over my shoulder, “Behave, Braxton.”
He rolled his eyes at me from the couch like a surly teenager and gave me a half-hearted wave. I could feel his disapproval through the pack link. Braxton didn’t know what we were doing, but he knew it had something to do with Hunter and he wasn’t happy.
Screw him. I didn’t need two controlling males in my life.
Hunter’s gilded wings disappeared into his back as we marched toward the small brickhouse. According to my last scrying, this was where we’d find my traitorous grandmother. My heart struck my ribcage like a battering ram, over and over again, intensity amplifying with each step closer. The words from her letter flashed across my mind:
Do not search for me. You will not find me.
Leave Moon Valley and escape Tyrien’s clutches, forget Aristaeus and find someone new. He is not worthy of you.
* * *
She was wrong. So wrong.
Hunter’s hand tightened around mine as my footsteps became sluggish. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t face her after what she’d done. I was so angry. A swirl of rage bubbled up in my gut, and my wolf headbutted her skeletal prison. I’d force her to break the curse no matter what it cost. Hunter didn’t deserve to pay the price for Tyrien’s sins.
Strengthening my resolve, I darted up the steps, allowing the anger to drive me. Hunter made a move to open the door, but I threw my hand out, splaying my fingers. “Apertum!” I shouted. Magic trickled from my fingertips, and the door whipped open.
I could feel Hunter’s gaze searing into the side of my face, but I ignored the worry roiling through our bond. I needed to hold onto the anger because behind it was devastation. And I couldn’t be weak, not now.
I marched into the quaint foyer, and my nostrils flared. Grams. Her distinctive scent of herbs and charred magic filled the petite house. “Grams, are you here?” I called out. I fisted my hands at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. “Grams!”
Hunter placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Let’s take a look around.” He scooted past me, taking my hand in his as he moved through the narrow entrance. My fingers uncoiled, and I laced them through his.
The kitchen was empty, but the perfume of chamomile lingered in the air. A kettle sat on the stove, and a half-empty mug lay atop the flowery tablecloth.
“She just left,” I muttered as my fingers grazed the warm teacup.
“You think she knew we were coming?” Hunter asked as he moved across the small kitchen and back to the corridor.
“Maybe.” I followed him as he opened a door at the end of the hall. As he
peered into the small space, my heart dropped. The closet was empty, drawers left open and a few items strewn hastily across the floor. “She’s gone…” I murmured, the last shred of hope dying out.
And just like that, I was back in her house in North Carolina, the intense feelings of abandonment and the loss of my mom crashing over me anew.
Hunter’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, and he drew me into his side. His warm vanilla and cedarwood scent enveloped me. “It’s okay, Sierra. We’ll find her. You did it once, so we’ll do it again.”
As I scanned the deserted bedroom, my eyes landed on a silver frame on her bedstand. I crept closer, my gaze intent on the three women in the photo. One was Grams, the other my mom when she was a teenager, but the third girl I didn’t recognize. Picking up the old frame, I squinted to make out the fuzzy details. The other girl was blonde like Mom, maybe a couple years older with Grams’ full cheeks and distinctive smile.
“Who’s that?” Hunter asked.
“I have no idea.”
He coaxed the picture from my hands and stared at the worn image. “Did your mom have a sister?”
I shook my head. “Not that I ever knew of. There’s a strong family resemblance, right?”
He nodded. “Cousin, maybe?”
“Aunt Hilda’s our only living relative, and she never married.” And the lies and secrets continued.
Forcing my chin up, I steeled my resolve. Grams owed me answers. If she wanted to play cat and mouse, I’d be the mother-trucking lion. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth until I forced her to break the curse and explain herself. The pain from earlier morphed into anger and my wolf awoke, a growl resonating in the depths of my core. “How could she?” I snarled. “How could she care so little about me?” Angry tears stung my eyes. I kept my gaze straight ahead at the empty spot on the nightstand where the frame had stood. How many secrets was she still keeping?
“I’m so sorry, Sierra.” He wrapped me in his arms, pressing me tight against his chest.
His warmth, his skin, his very being chased away the darkness. I could almost forget everything when safely cocooned within his arms. Almost. I gave myself another minute of comfort, of soaking in his soothing strength before I wriggled free. Throwing my shoulders back, I stomped to the entrance foyer where I’d dropped my bag of witchy weapons.
I stretched out the map of the U.S. and pressed the dagger to my palm. Hunter towered over me, his concern seeping through our link. “Let’s do this again.”
He nodded and crouched down beside me. “As long as it takes.”
Hours later, I slumped down on the upholstered couch at the farmhouse and exhaled a frustrated breath. We’d spent the entire day flying from one dead end to another. No matter how quickly we moved, Grams was always faster.
Hunter lay beside me, dark circles beneath his long lashes. He’d flown across three states today, never complaining, never uttering a word of resignation. He’d been my rock. But now as darkness settled across the eastern seaboard, I feared our efforts were becoming futile. Grams knew we were after her, and we’d lost our chance. For today at least.
Hunter’s hand closed around mine, and he gave me a reassuring smile. “We’re not giving up, Sierra. We’re just taking a little break to recoup and regroup.”
“I know…” I traced circles around his palm as I sulked. “I just can’t believe she was able to slip by us so many times. How are we ever going to be fast enough?”
“I just may have an idea.”
I shot up, a hint of hope filling my deflated chest. “What?”
“There’s no way she could be moving so fast without help. Only warlocks can open portals, right?”
I nodded.
“So how is she doing it?”
“Pre-existing portals we don’t know of?” I offered.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Is there anyone else you know of that she could be traveling with?”
“You’re asking the wrong person, buddy. I apparently don’t know crap about my family.”
“Either way, I think I know someone that could help us.”
I searched my memories for any mention of warlocks in all our discussions. I didn’t think the Dragos pack had any close associations. The Royal Pack warlock, Aras, was still in a magical coma after I bit him, and he was the only one I knew of in Moon Valley. “Who?” I finally blurted when Hunter didn’t elaborate.
“I need to talk to Vander to confirm.” He sat up and draped his arm across my shoulders, tucking me into his side. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it yet. It just kills me to see you like this.”
“I’m just so angry at her.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of my head, and his warm breath swirled through my hair.
The crazy thing was that he really did know. No one else on the planet knew what I was going through better than him, thanks to our mystical wolfy bond. I still couldn’t imagine feeling any more connected to him, and yet, our link hadn’t even been sealed.
Sometimes I wondered if it ever would be.
It will. Hunter’s deep voice blasted through my troubled thoughts.
“Hey! No eavesdropping.” I punched him in the stomach and regretted it instantly, my knuckles slamming against steel abs.
“I’m sorry.” He threw me a wry grin, gold flecks sparkling through the emerald. “You know I can’t help it sometimes. It’s like you’re yelling in my ear.”
“Whatever…”
He nuzzled said ear, slowly dragging his nose down my neck until goose bumps exploded across my flesh. “We should probably head home soon,” he muttered against the sensitive skin of my collarbone.
All thoughts vanished as a flicker of desire uncoiled in my core. “Or we could spend the night here.” Hunter and I hadn’t had a night alone together since Braxton’s impromptu appearance, and I’d been dying for some quality time with my reluctant mate.
“We could,” he finally said, lifting his lips from my shoulder. “But do you really trust Braxton on his own?”
“He’s not on his own. Cass and Vander are with him.”
Hunter cocked a brow, waggling it with a mischievous grin.
“Ah, I see where you’re going with that.” I huffed out a breath, considering. Hunter’s mouth found its way to the crook of my neck and all rational thought vanished. “Braxton’s a big boy, and we deserve some alone time. We can deal with the fallout tomorrow.”
He glanced up, his fully golden irises searing into me. “Are you sure?”
I captured his lips in response. The world might be crumbling around us, but tonight, I needed my mate and nothing else mattered.
Chapter Twenty
Hunter
* * *
I plodded toward the main foyer of the cold lair, worry weighing down each step. I hated leaving Sierra alone with Braxton even for a moment, let alone the entire length of the high alpha council meeting. But my father had insisted I attended and even I couldn’t resist his alpha power when it came to my supreme beta duties.
Luckily, that power didn’t extend to my mate. The wolf mating bond was sacred within our kind and superseded all else. I was certain if it hadn’t, Tyrien would’ve already forbidden me from seeing her. My wolf growled, and fur sprouted across my arms. Nothing would keep him away from his mate. I was stupid to ever think otherwise.
I reached the thick double doors of the grand hall and paused at the tapestry hung over the dark timber. The Dragos Pack crest stared back at me, the dragon’s jaw agape and looming over the wolf beneath. Tyrien was that dragon, casting an ominous shadow over my life, over my happiness. Sometimes I wished Sierra and I had run away when we had the chance.
With a huff, I whipped the door open. The loud squeal turned all heads in my direction, and I mumbled a curse. So much for getting in undetected. Father wouldn’t be pleased by my tardiness.
“Nice of you to join us, Aristaeus,” Tyrien grumbled as I marched toward the dais. He sat at the center in that garish stone throne, hi
s hands curled around the wolf heads on the arm rests.
I dipped my head at the other five alphas. “I apologize for the delay. I hope you have started without me.”
“We have actually.” Lucien’s dark gaze raked over me as I took a seat beside my father. “Verros was just talking about your fated.” He hissed the word like a curse. “The Demon alpha believes Sierra Wildstone deserves a seat on the council, and we were just discussing the merits of the proposition.”
Verros? Was that why his son, Viceroy, had helped Sierra win that last competition?
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Father barked. “She has no pack, therefore, she has no claim to a seat.”
“That’s a formality and you know it, Tyrien,” Verros snapped. “You’ve always hated the Mystics, and you’re loathe to see their return.”
“And you’ve always favored them and hope for an ally in the council,” he retorted.
“Enough,” said Azmaneal, rising and unfurling his alabaster wings. “I say we put it to a vote, like we do all important matters.”
Verros raised a clawed finger. “Just so that we’re clear, we are voting on Ms. Wildstone’s admittance to the council given her pack-less state. Should the situation change, a new vote would be necessary.”
My eyes narrowed in on the Demon alpha as dread uncoiled in my chest. Did he know something about Braxton? Or was there more to this?
All the males nodded their agreement despite my father’s annoyed mutterings as my gaze remained intent on the demon. I didn’t know much about the history of the Demon and Mystic Packs, but perhaps there’d been an alliance there.
Tyrien stood and puffed out his chest. “By a show of hands, who believes Sierra Wildstone deserves a seat at the table of the high alpha council?”
Verros’s hand shot up. A thick silence filled the air as he scanned the eyes of the other alphas. No one moved. Lucien’s fingers twitched and for a second, I thought he’d raise his hand, but his expression blanked, and the silence lingered.