Page 3

THREE

Reed

I ’d no sooner buckled Fiona into the passenger seat of my SUV and leaned it back for her than she was back asleep, face smoothing into relaxed peace. She had to sense what I was to her. There was no other explanation for a human woman falling into a stranger’s arms and agreeing to leave with me.

It was probably for the best. I’d told her I was taking her to see a doctor, and that was true. Brielle was an excellent physician. But she would probably have a lot of questions about why the doctor was located inside an ancient fortress and not a modern hospital.

I had no idea how much or little she knew about the supernatural world. Her scent, while delicious, gave no hints as to why she might be my mate. I didn’t sense anything other about her, no distant wolf ancestress or even a sprinkling of fae, like Shailene.

But the mark on her left palm… I glanced down and ran my thumb over it, blowing out a shaky breath.

It meant I was going to have an omega daughter, just like Gael. I’d seen how torn up he was, and Leigh was only partway through the pregnancy. Apparently the Moon Goddess had decided it was time I was roped into the fray as well.

Somehow, as I stole glances at Fiona’s sleeping face, I couldn’t regret that. The drive back to the enclave went smoothly, with no sign of rampaging shifters or any other trouble. And when I parked outside the gates, she barely stirred when I scooped her back into my arms.

A woman I didn’t know was on gate duty. She had bright blue eyes and almost white-blonde hair cut off at her chin, but she wore the uniform that identified her as a maiden trainee.

“It’s Reed, from High Alpha Kane’s pack.”

“Dakota,” she introduced herself. Her nose wrinkled as I approached, but she still pulled open the gate. “You reek like you drank half a distillery.”

“Thank you,” I said sarcastically, carefully keeping Fiona’s head tucked against my neck.

“Who’s that you’ve got there?” she asked, peering at the woman in my arms.

“I found my mate.”

Her eyebrows nearly flew off her forehead, they jacked up so fast. “I’m sorry, you met your mate at the little hole-in-the-wall down the road? I didn’t even know wolves went in there. The place is a crap hole.”

“There were definitely wolves there tonight,” I muttered as I walked past her, purposely not correcting her assumption. The woman in my arms was no wolf, but the first person I needed to tell that to was our Alpha and his doctor mate.

“I’ll let the priestesses know there was increased pack activity,” she called helpfully after me, locking the gate back with a clang.

As she jogged off in the other direction, I cut a path across the enclave toward the wing where we’d been given temporary rooms. Everything was quiet, not even birds singing as I pushed through the door to our hallway. Kane and Brielle had been given the largest room at the end, but before I got ten feet down the hall, Olivia, the apprentice healer, stepped out of her room.

Her gaze was vacant, but pointed in my direction.

“Olivia? Are you sleepwalking again?” I asked, stopping in front of her, even though I wanted to race past and pound on Kane’s door.

“I… No. I don’t think so. I just had this urge to wake up, and…” She inhaled through her nose, gaze leaving me and settling on Fiona’s sleeping face. “Something’s happened to her.”

I bristled as Olivia reached forward, her palm settling across Fiona’s forehead, causing her to stir before settling tighter against my shoulder.

Olivia’s marked palm flared bright against Fiona’s skin, and her eyes went distant. “Seizure. There’s an herb that can help speed her recovery. I don’t have it on me, but I’ll go check with the maidens.” She lifted her palm and smiled, then strode down the hallway with purpose.

I stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, surprised by the whole exchange. How the hell had Oli known she’d had a seizure by touching her forehead?

I shook myself lightly and then crossed to Kane and Brielle’s room before knocking firmly.

When Kane opened the door, his gaze immediately fell to Fiona. His nostrils flared, and a look of shock crossed his face a split second before his eyes began to glow with his wolf.

When his words came out, they were gravelly, tinged with his wolf. “What have you done? Humans are verboten. She can’t be inside the enclave.”

“She’s my mate, Alpha.”

His gaze snapped up to mine, and for a moment, it felt like he was peeling back my skin and bone to look inside me. Whatever he found, he nodded.

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside and pointing me inside.

“I need you to wake Brielle. She’s had a seizure, and she was out for several minutes after.”

He nodded again, then crossed to the bed to wake Brielle. She popped out of bed the second he told her we needed a doctor and started giving orders.

“Lay her on the bed and get the lights. I need to check her over to see what’s going on and how I can help.”

I gently laid Fiona across the foot of the bed while Kane turned on the lights. Brielle didn’t spare a glance my way as she asked, “What’s her name?”

“Fiona. She has a bottle of seizure medication in her pocket. She only woke up for a few minutes, but she seemed fuzzy and has been sleeping ever since.”

“Sometimes that’s okay. A seizure takes a lot out of your body, and recovery is exhausting. Her vitals are stable. I’m going to let my wolf check her out next.”

I found myself fighting the urge to wring my hands as I watched the petite woman drop her head, eyes closed as her hands pressed flat to my mate’s skin.

“How is it that you came to find this human who you think is your mate?” Kane asked at my side, voice low so as not to disturb Brielle’s exam.

“She found me. I was drinking away my sorrows at the bar, and there was a commotion outside. A second later, she practically fell through the door, bruised and bloody and terrified.” I ran a hand over my face, the memory sending fear and rage in equal measure pounding through my veins.

“Four shifters were chasing her. She collapsed seconds later, and when I caught her, I saw her palm. She’s got the omega seal on it, just like Leigh and Olivia.”

That set him back on his heels. “But she’s human. They’re compatible for breeding, but they don’t have the inherent magic necessary to form a mate bond.”

“I don’t understand it either, but she’s mine. My mate. My wolf is certain, and she trusts me even though we’re strangers.”

He nodded grimly, but I could see the questions he wasn’t speaking out loud. The same questions I had, probably.

But to me, they didn’t matter. She was mine , and the fact that she was human couldn’t touch that.

A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and Kane went to let Olivia in. She was clutching a vial with milky yellow liquid inside and had an overflowing bag of what looked like medical supplies over one shoulder.

She stepped up to Brielle’s side as Fiona began to stir.

“I got a frogs-foot tincture from one of the maidens. It’ll help her energy come back.”

“Great idea. Let’s make a poultice and apply the mixture to her lower abdomen.” Olivia nodded at Bri’s instruction and got to work, pulling supplies from the bag.

Someone pounded on the door, and Kane sighed with exhaustion before crossing to yank it open again.

It was the blonde maiden from the gate, Dakota. “I’m sorry to bother you, High Alpha. But the head priestess would like to see you and your top men. Immediately.” She inched back even as she delivered the message.

“Tell her we’re on the way.”

* * *

No part of me wanted to leave Fiona, asleep and in a strange place. But I’d started this mess, and she was safe with Brielle and Olivia. Kane had set Dirge on the door before we left, and Shay was inside with the other women. My pack mates had her, and that had to be enough.

Head Priestess Marciana’s face was nearly as red as a tomato when we walked into her office.

“I demand to know why you’ve dishonored this sanctuary by bringing a human inside our walls. We’ll have to perform a cleansing ritual, and frankly, I’m considering tossing all of you ingrates out on your asses for the trouble.”

My wolf snarled in my chest, not appreciating her acerbic tone or the threats against our mate. But Kane held up a hand, keeping me silent.

“Priestess Marciana, I assure you we are very grateful for your protection, and there were extenuating circumstances. Reed was in the village when he saved a human woman who was being pursued by four shifter males. She had a medical issue, and he brought her here for treatment. As you know, my mate is a doctor and also has a skilled healer apprentice with her.”

“I’m well aware of the omega-sealed healer and your mate’s talents, but surely your man is intelligent enough to understand that a human woman could be taken to the human doctors? Humans are verboten to the maidens. They are a threat to our kind, and we have no tolerance for them here.”

I was about to crawl out of my skin because the fury building underneath it was more than I could contain. She was threatening my mate’s safety and, beyond that, my pack’s safety. Claws sprouted from my fingertips, and thick fur spread along my arms, uncomfortable underneath my button-up shirt.

Kane must have felt my tenuous grip on my control through the pack bonds because he shot me a sharp look and sent a heavy wave of alpha power down the bonds, strong enough to make me sway on my feet and stop me mid-shift.

Not enough to knock me to my knees, though, not when my wolf was fighting this hard for control. For our mate .

“I’m afraid you find yourself at cross-purposes, then, Priestess,” Kane said, tone level in that way he reserved for politicians and unwilling allies. “Because the human woman has an omega seal on her palm.”

Marciana hissed. “That’s impossible! The sacred texts say nothing of omega-marked human females. It’s an abomination, and I must insist she be removed from the premises immediately. Or my maidens shall remove her permanently.”

A vicious growl ripped itself from my chest, and a red haze descended over my vision.

Like fuck will you lay a finger on Fiona.

“Reed! Control yourself!” Kane snapped, Alpha command buffeting me in waves. But with the red haze, I barely felt a thing.

Three hundred years of perfect control, gone in an instant. I was a beast made entirely of rage, of deadly purpose. The priestess threatened my mate? She’d have to go through me.

My wolf exploded out of my skin, blazing heat the last thing I remembered before I surrendered to the feral haze and leapt.