Page 184 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)
BISHOP
I stood at the hospital’s back door, the cool metal handle pressing into my palm and my eyes fixed on the garden. Power poured from Audrey in great waves, crashing over me and making my knees weak, while everyone else in the garden knelt in submission.
But they were just the bystanders caught up in Audrey’s power. Her real target was Velora who lay prostrate on the ground, her head turned just enough so she could glare at Audrey.
“Do. You. Understand?” Audrey snarled, sounding more like Knox than the quiet, shy girl we’d pulled out of the river.
Sisters, she was amazing.
I knew she had a warrior’s spirit and now others knew it as well. She wasn’t some weakling they could push around and they shouldn’t think that because she didn’t exude alpha power that they could say and do whatever they wanted with her.
Pride swelled within me and I let it pour through our mating bond. Audrey had come so far from the frightened woman who had been abused by her previous pack alpha.
She’d been forced into silence and invisibility by her previous pack, conditioned to fear speaking up or even being seen, and I had no doubt standing up to Velora made Audrey uncomfortable. I didn’t think she’d ever want to draw attention to herself.
And yet, here she was, asserting herself as my mate and claiming her position as alpha.
“Do you?” Audrey pressed, more of her power crashing down on Velora and washing over everyone else.
“Yes,” Velora hissed, her words soft but still audible.
Audrey huffed. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes, alpha ,” Velora said, louder this time.
Audrey’s power eased, releasing everyone from their submissive position.
I mentally reached out to Harlow. She was an older watchman who should have retired a few years ago and Finn had assigned her to the hospital. With the fear and heightened emotions from the attack, Cyrus and I thought it best if there was someone who could deal with any conflict.
Harlow, I said in her mind. Meet me in the hospital garden. You need to make an arrest.
Of course, she replied, and I opened the back door and joined Audrey.
Velora’s eyes flashed bright, her hope clear that I’d take her side or that she’d be able to convince me Audrey was dangerous. But I scowled at her. I’d heard everything. She’d threatened to permanently maim my mate and that was unforgivable.
I glanced at everyone else, worried that someone would side with Velora, but most of them looked awed and proud of Audrey. Those who weren’t appeared shocked by the display of power they’d just witnessed.
And I couldn’t blame them. Audrey didn’t radiate any alpha power until it broke through the curse containing it and exploded around her. After, the curse took over again, and she was back to looking like the weakest shifter in existence.
It shouldn’t have taken releasing her power to convince everyone she was exactly where she belonged, but it still warmed my heart to see that nobody seemed upset or angry with Audrey for asserting her dominance.
Instead, their eyes held contempt for Velora. Her true, horrible nature had been exposed, and with this revelation, any credibility she had in spreading those nasty rumors about Audrey was now in tatters.
“Velora,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even.
My wolf wanted to rip her to pieces for even thinking about doing those things to Audrey, but I couldn’t risk looking like I wasn’t in control. That would diminish Audrey’s strength in standing up for herself, making it look like she needed my protection when she didn’t — at least not in this situation.
“Audrey is my fated mate. There won’t ever be another woman for me and I knew it the moment I saw her.” I glanced at Audrey and offered her a soft smile while sending all my love to her through our bond. “We’re destined to be together.”
Audrey’s love raced back to me in response and the adoration in her expression stole my breath. I’d never tire of seeing that look or feeling her love, and I’d thank the Sisters for the rest of my life that they blessed me with such an incredible mate.
Then Audrey’s expression hardened and she turned to Velora.
“I never wanted to be alpha and I still don’t. But if it means I can protect this pack, so be it. I don’t want to issue commands. That’s Cyrus, Bishop, and Knox’s job, but in this situation I will,” Audrey said. “I strip you of your rank of beta.”
“You can’t do that!” Velora snapped.
A ripple of Audrey’s power swept through the garden. “I think I’ve proven that I can.”
“Bishop—” Velora looked at me with pleading eyes and I placed my hand against the small of Audrey’s back.
“I stand by my mate,” I said.
“So do I,” someone in the crowd mumbled. “Velora is crazy.”
Velora jerked around to see who’d spoken, her expression contorted with anger and humiliation. “Who said that? Who dares say that about me.”
The back door opened and Harlow strode out. I acknowledged her with a nod, and before I could even tell her what was going on, she assessed the situation and moved to apprehend Velora without hesitation.
When I heard Velora talking trash about your mate, I figured this day would come, she said in my head.
You should have said something, I replied.
The grimalkins attacked and it slipped my mind. I’m sorry, alpha.
Understandable. A lot had happened in the last couple of days, so I couldn’t blame her for not coming to me with a worry. All she’d had was a conversation, not any proof that Velora was actually going to do something to Audrey. Even Cyrus, Knox, and I had been worried about Velora but hadn’t done anything to prevent this confrontation.
I sighed as Harlow dragged Velora away. Despite my wolf’s fury that Velora had threatened our mate, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness for Velora. I’d known she’d been trying to get me to date her and had softly turned her down, but I hadn’t known she’d been consumed by ambition and jealousy. If I’d been firmer in my rejection early on, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out this way.
But I knew, deep in my soul, that was just wishful thinking. Velora had always been on the path of self-destruction and had done a good job at hiding all the ugly parts of herself.
“Come on,” I said, nudging Audrey into movement and leading her out of the garden toward the market.
She leaned close, bumping her shoulder against mine and our fingers brushed. Desire zapped up my arm at the slight contact, and I took her hand in mine, entwining our fingers together. My heart swelled with pride and love for this incredible woman, and I swore I’d do everything in my power to protect her… even if she did want to walk to the heart of Anakar and help us defeat forty-eight grimalkins.
We leisurely strolled down Main Street to the market, even as my insides churned with the urge to hurry, do something, start saving my pack. Audrey’s own impatience bled through the bond, fueling mine and making my wolf strain against my control.
I shoved him back down, reminding him we had a part to play. The merchants could have spies in the city, and if our plan to attack their camp was going to work, we needed the element of surprise.
But damn it. It was hard to concentrate with Audrey’s emotions fueling mine.
“Audrey,” I murmured to her. “Take a breath. We need to act natural.”
“Right.” She sucked in a deep breath and released it, some of her tension draining from our mating bond.
After that, I flirted with her, trying to distract her from what was coming. Seeing her blush and smile, so sweet and beautiful, made me fall in love with her all over again.
We reached the market, and Audrey and I strolled along the main paths, taking note of the damage and the progress of the rebuilding efforts while exchanging pleasantries and words of encouragement with those hard at work.
“I can’t wait to see this place bustling again,” Audrey said brightly to the owner of the bookstore we’d paused at the first time I’d taken Audrey here. I could feel her genuine hopefulness mixed with the urgency to hurry up and protect my pack.
“Thank you, alpha,” he replied, and a thread of discomfort slipped down our bond.
“Audrey, please,” she murmured.
The bookstore owner hummed and nodded but didn’t agree to Audrey’s request, and we strolled farther down the street.
“I’m never going to get used to that,” she said. “They don’t constantly call you alpha.”
“They’ll stop saying it soon,” I chuckled. “They just want to show their respect. You did an amazing thing saving those children. The whole pack is grateful.”
Finally, we reached the edge of town and quickly slipped between two still-standing shops and out into the grasslands beyond.
The tall grasses stretched in front of us, the land rolling with rises and dips. The goal was to head north, getting closer to the pack’s full-sized sacred grove — not the private one on the Residence’s ground — then head east so it wasn’t so obvious that there were wolves running away from Stonehaven.
I led Audrey down a hill and away from town to where Knox waited for us.
He sat in the grass in his naked human form — something he’d been spending more and more time in since mating with Audrey — with a single backpack containing emergency supplies and— was that long black pole in the grass a fence post?
Joy flooded our twin bond. It wasn’t nearly as strong as the emotions between me and Audrey, but it was still noticeable, and I was amazed at how Audrey had turned his life around.
Before she’d crashed into our lives, he’d been withdrawn, and I had feared he was slipping beyond my reach and on the verge of permanently going feral.
We’d only recently gotten him back and I hadn’t wanted to lose him again. He was my twin. The other half of my soul, just like Audrey was our souls’ match.
“Here,” he said, picking up the fence post and offering it to Audrey.
Love flooded our bond and she gave him a heart-stopping smile.
“I had one of Jaxon’s apprentices sharpen the end into a proper point,” he said gruffly, a hint of blush coloring his cheeks. “Just in case.”
I didn’t want Audrey to be forced to defend herself. Just thinking of her in harm’s way made my wolf rage and I knew Knox felt the same.
But neither of us could deny we needed her in Anakar. Hell, even Cyrus had caved, knowing that if she could control the grimalkins even just a little bit, she could save lives.
Which meant Knox was right. If our mate who couldn’t shift was going to fight with us, she needed a weapon.