Page 88 of Fated to the Wolf Cowboy

“They aren’t dumb enough to come after Tricia and Kelsey, are they?” Peyton asked.

“Not if they know what’s good for them,” Kyle said. “I will not stand for them threatening my mate.”

I shivered. He was so intense. I would be terrified to be on the wrong side of him.

Kelsey just shrugged. “They’ve tried before.”

As dinner wrapped up, the kids went off to play in other areas of the house. Lily and Peyton took cleanup duty while the men excused themselves to talk. That left me all alone with Kelsey.

“Can I ask what your powers are that landed you at the top of the list?”

“It’s not a secret, Tricia. I stopped hiding who I was a long time ago. But I’m a triple threat with multiple powers and a natural born Alpha she-wolf.”

I gasped. “No wonder they’re scared of you.”

“How about you? I heard a little, but I’d rather you tell me.”

“It still feels weird to talk about it openly. But I can talk to animals and when I need to, I can command them to do stuff for me.”

“So it’s true. What’s the largest animal you’ve controlled?”

I blushed. “A horse.”

“Why does that embarrass you?”

“You haven’t heard? I commanded a horse to help me out of a predicament. When I use my powers in that way it’s almost like a piece of me goes with them. I don’t really know how else to explain it. They sort of take on my scent. It’s helped me to confuse trackers who go looking for a sewer rat instead of me. But it also confused Brady who thought he was destined to be mated to that horse.”

Her jaw dropped and then she burst out laughing.

“Shh. It’s not funny. He was so furious when we finally met. And people keep talking about it which doesn’t help the situation.”

“Because it’s hysterical. Poor Brady.”

It really felt like I’d met a kindred spirit in Kelsey.

“But why does that put you at the top of the list with me?”

“They seem to think that if I can control animals, then I can control their animal spirits.”

“Can you?” she asked without judgement.

“I honestly don’t know. Thomas and Luke want to test me to see. I don’t know what that entails. And frankly, I don’t even want to know it’s a possibility. What if I can? That’s a lot of power to put on one person. It’s not something I want at all.”

“I understand, but it’s better to know exactly what you’re capable of. Trust me on that. No matter how scary it feels. You need to know so you can decide what to do with it and not risk accidental use out of fear.”

“Thanks. It’s a lot to take in.”

“It is. And you’re not alone in this.”

“I met three local witches earlier who told me the same thing.”

“Hey, us witches, we stick together.”

“That’s probably what terrifies the Grand Council more than anything,” I joked.

Kelsey seemed to consider that. “You know. You’re probably right, but we aren’t going to bury our heads in the sand and wait for confirmation on that. Make no mistake. If they press this issue and force our hand, we are prepared to fight for every witch out there. That includes you, but I also hope you’ll consider joining us.”

“I was on my way to Westin Pack fleeing New York when I got stuck here,” I confessed.