Page 14

As soon as Ryan messaged to say that Emily wanted to go to her coven, I knew I had to be there for that conversation. I need to know what Marian says about our child. My child.

Our baby will be a half-shifter, and I’m not letting the witches get their claws into them.

I’m still not sure if that was Emily’s plan all along.

Part of me knows she can’t really bewitch anyone; she doesn’t have the magic, but I felt something in the forest that day, something unnaturally strong pulling me toward Emily.

So, that doesn’t mean Marian didn’t help her.

Perhaps it’s all part of a bigger plan. Ralph always said the witches wanted to rule the island and couldn’t be trusted.

I’m still fired up from my conversation with Callum this morning—sanctimonious bastard.

I wasn’t actually surprised that she went running to Ava.

I know they’re close. But I am surprised that Callum jumped on me so damn fast. Always the big brother trying to lay down the law.

But the fact is, I’m an alpha now, and I don’t take kindly to him interfering.

He overstepped this morning, and I damn well told him.

I get why he feels strongly about his mate.

Ava’s return was a blessing for him and our whole family.

Harper is pretty much the only kid I’ve ever had time for, and now they have another one on the way.

I get it. She’s his mate, and he made a huge mistake when he was younger, rejecting her.

He blames Ralph in a way, and I can see where he’s coming from.

Ralph ran a very different kind of pack, one where Ava wasn’t particularly welcome.

Callum thought he was a good alpha by rejecting her and putting the pack first. He was a fool, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong to be wary of the witches and Emily.

Maybe Ralph wasn’t wrong about everything. He never had these problems with Malik or the rogues, and he didn’t need to work with the witches, so he couldn’t have been totally wrong.

Callum even had the nerve to suggest that instead of bewitching me, all Emily had done was reveal herself to be my mate.

My sworn mate. He likened his wolf’s feelings for Ava to mine for Emily—the need to be close to her that borders on obsession, the bond, the connection…

I told him that was ridiculous, because why would my wolf be fated to mate with a witch and not another shifter, but he assured me it does happen.

I told him to mind his business and focus on his own family.

He hung up, telling me not to blow up my own.

And now I’m driving on the trail toward Marian’s coven, still fuming but also confused as hell.

I’m still pissed at Callum interfering. I’m not sure how well he’d have taken it if Aiden or I had involved ourselves in his business.

But what he said about how his wolf’s feelings for Ava mirror mine with Emily planted a seed of doubt that I can’t seem to shake.

As I turn onto the steep incline that leads out to the coven, I’m lost in thought.

Emily. Our baby. The threat from Malik and our reliance on the witches’ defenses.

I rub my head, the weight of everything that weighs on me, threatening to give me a banging headache.

I push it all away, focusing on the road ahead and what I hope to learn today.

Perhaps I just need to ask Marian outright if it’s true shifters and witches can be fated mates.

Am I ready for the answer? And what if we are? Will Emily forgive me for everything I’ve said to her—everything I’ve thought about her and accused her of?

A shiver runs through me at the thought of her, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s feeling it, too. Is that how it works?

The trees thin out as the road curves around, revealing the coven in front of me.

There are several trucks and cars parked haphazardly on the side of the road, and my gut clenches.

Something’s not right. As I get closer, I see a witch lying dead on the road, surrounded by two rogues, and my blood runs cold.

Then, I look up and see Emily on the trail ahead with Ryan and another witch at the checkpoint.

More rogues are circling his truck, and my instincts kick in.

I slam my foot down on the accelerator, and the truck lurches forward, smashing through the rogue shifters who were blocking the road.

They fly into the treeline, their bodies hitting hard against the bark and branches before they slump to the ground with a sickening thud.

My eyes lock with Emily's as I skid to a stop in front of them. I jump from the truck and run around to where Emily is standing by the open door of Ryan’s vehicle with the others.

“Are you okay?” I ask, but before she can reply, I hear the sound of Marian and her coven attacking the rogues closer to the coven. Emily’s eyes go wide as Marian fires a volley of magic at a group of rogues, reducing them to ash.

“Glad she’s on our side,” Ryan mutters as we turn to face another group moving to attack.

Ryan and I shift simultaneously, our bodies twisting and contorting into our respective wolves.

We charge together, letting our instincts take over.

The fight is brutal, the adrenaline pumping through us as we tear into the rogues.

They’re no match for us, but they’re not going down without a fight, either.

I can smell blood in the air as my teeth sink into the flesh of another rogue’s shoulder, ripping it apart.

He screams in pain as he staggers back, his body shifting back into human form, revealing a face contorted in agony until he dies in the dirt.

I growl low in my throat before turning to face another rogue who lunges at me from behind, his claws raking into my fur as we roll onto the ground, but I manage to quickly pin him down with a swift blow to the side of his head, his neck snapping with a loud crack under my weight.

With that rogue dead, I turn to check on Emily and see her and the other witch.

They’re fighting off a rogue that has slipped through the trees, evading Marian’s counterattack.

Emily has some kind of electrified stick and is using it to repel her attacker.

The other witch is trying to help some of her sisters stop the rogues from breaking through the tree line with some kind of spell.

Suddenly, I hear a shout from the rogues. “She’s here. Grab the one with red hair.”

My eyes immediately shoot back toward Emily, who looks terrified as several rogues descend on where she’s still fighting. Completely overwhelmed, she calls out for Samatha, the other witch, who spins around and is immediately knocked out by a rogue who jumps out from the checkpoint cabin.

“Emily, get down,” I yell as I spot a rogue lunge for her, and she ducks against the side of the truck, dragging the unconscious witch with her.

Filled with rage at the thought of anyone hurting her or our baby, I summon all the magic within me, channeling it into a tornado that whips up the rogues, flinging them against rocks and trees in a rage.

The wind howls as they struggle to escape my wrath, but there’s no escape.

They’re trapped in the maelstrom of my power.

Finally, when the rogues are lying defeated, the wind dies down, and I shift back into my human form, panting hard as I look for Emily. She’s on the ground, holding onto the unconscious witch. “Are you okay?” I ask, rushing over to her side.

"I...I think so," she replies weakly as the witch stirs in her arms, blood covering her head.

I feel the bile rise in my throat at the thought of how close we came to her being taken, but I manage to keep it down as I pull her into my arms and stand up with her weight leaning against me. Ryan limps over with a bloody gash on his side from where a rogue's claws managed to catch him.

"We need to get the witches out of here. The coven isn’t safe, and the main house is burning," he says gruffly. I look over his shoulder and see the smoke rising in the distance. Marian has obviously summoned some water magic, but I’d say the damage is done.

I nod. “Have Marian round up her sisters. They can follow us down in their own vehicles.” I pull out my phone and issue an alert for the patrols to gather at our location. “We’ll get the border resecured.”

Ryan nods and then grimly indicates up the trail. “It appears they forced that poor young witch into opening a rune checkpoint.”

I let out a breath, knowing that it was good news they weren’t able to break through on their own, but also knowing how hard the witches take losing one of their own. We’ve lost enough and know how it feels.

I keep Emily close, neither saying much while Marian and her sisters gather the wounded and their fallen witch.

We help them into their trucks to follow us down the mountain.

I thought for sure Marian would kick off when I suggested staying in town until the coven house is secure, but she surprised me by agreeing immediately.

By the time we reach the town and settle the witches into the large hall with the help of the entire pack offering bedding and food, it’s getting late.

I have to practically drag Emily away as she takes charge of distributing items and helping some of the witches make dinner.

At one point, I find myself looking around as shifters and witches work together to turn the hall into a temporary living space.

They work together and even laugh despite the circumstances.

Marian, usually so self-assured and formidable, seems different in her role as a leader today, softer with the younger witches who are in mourning and scared.

She is defiant at moments when she talks of revenge, but altogether more of a true leader of her people than I’ve ever appreciated before.

And Emily, she’s like a bridge between our worlds. Moving through the hall, directing people and answering questions, offering advice, and remaining completely calm despite all she’s been through today. Almost like a true…luna.

I finally pull Emily from the hall as the sun sets, exhaustion written all over her features. We drive the short distance to the house in silence, entering the house and standing in the entrance hall, almost at a loss as to what to do next, our argument hanging between us, painfully unspoken.

“Well,” Emily says quietly, “I should get some sleep.”

She turns as if to go to her room, and I instinctively reach for her hand and pull her back. “I can’t be away from you tonight,” I tell her plainly. “I need you.”

She eyes me for a moment, and I’m genuinely not sure what I’ll do, what my wolf will do if she says no.

Thankfully, she nods and allows me to lead her through the house to my room.

It’s dark when we enter, and she disappears into the en-suite.

I’m weary as I strip off my clothes, discarding them in the basket as I wait for her to emerge.

When she does, she’s wearing one of my oversized t-shirts from the back of the en-suite door, her arms and legs still showing the marks of the earlier battle, covered in scrapes and bruises.

My wolf paces restlessly within me, needing to be close to her, feel her near me, and reassure myself she’s safe.

That our baby is safe. As she climbs onto the bed and lies down on her side, facing away from me, I crawl in behind her and wrap my arms around her waist.

She stiffens for a moment before relaxing into my embrace.

It’s not what I want, but it’s a start. Instead of pouncing on her like my wolf wants to, I lie there with her, holding on to her as if she’s the only thing keeping me sane in our world gone mad.

It’s when I hear the sound of her gently sniffling, realizing she’s crying, that I can’t take it anymore.

I gently roll her over, cupping her face as I wipe the tears away with my thumb, painfully aware that my calloused hands need to be gentle on her far softer skin.

“I’m sorry,” I say, struggling to find the words. “For everything. For not being there sooner. For not being a better man. I—”

She takes me by complete surprise when she cuts me off with a kiss.

It’s a gentle kiss that cuts right through my words to the emotions that lie underneath, saying more than I ever could.

As her lips part under mine and the kiss deepens, I taste the saltiness of her tears mixed with her natural sweetness.

Her fingers twist in my hair as she deepens the kiss, and suddenly, I’m lost in her.

I trail my hand down her side, over the soft skin of her stomach, where our baby grows. She shivers slightly at the touch, and I smile against her lips before dipping further down to trace patterns on her thighs with my fingers. She’s mine, and I need to mark her as such and prove it to both of us.

My hand moves between her legs, pushing the shirt up and over her head, revealing her body to me in the half-light.

My cock jerks at the sight of her ready for me, aching for release.

With one swift move, I slide my hand underneath her panties and press two fingers into her pussy, feeling the heat and wetness surround them as she gasps against my mouth.

Her hips buck against my hand as I begin to finger fuck her with long, deep strokes, the sound of her pleasure filling the room.

My other hand slides up her naked body, teasing a nipple until it stands erect before taking it into my mouth.

She arches against me at the dual sensation, and it’s too much for me to take any longer.

I nudge her legs apart and position myself between them before slowly pushing into her tight heat. She gasps at the intrusion but meets my thrusts, as eager for me as I am for her. My voice is raw as I whisper, “mine,” against her skin, feeling the claiming of her body and soul as I begin to move.

Her nails dig into my shoulders as she finds her rhythm with me, matching each forceful thrust with a moan of pleasure.

Our lovemaking after such a brutal day is primal and messy, but it’s what we both need.

To feel alive and connected in a world that appears to want us dead or apart.

And when she comes, screaming my name, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard and all the confirmation that my wolf needs. She is mine, bewitchment or not.

But just because she wants me tonight, does that mean she’s forgiven me?