Page 15

CHAPTER 15

brIAR

W e walk in tense silence to one of the rooms at the opposite end of the hall. The only sound is the rhythmic tapping of our shoes against the wood floors.

When we reach the plain mahogany door, Rhys pulls it open and steps inside what looks like a study. My boot-clad feet sink into the plush forest green carpet as I make my way to the center of the room where Rhys is. He has his hands shoved in his pockets as he stares sightlessly at the walnut shelves lined with vintage books.

Saint’s the last one to enter the room. He glances in awe at the giant gold chandelier in the middle of the ceiling as he walks over to stand behind me. “So what do you want, Gallagher?”

Rhys startles at Saint’s voice and seems to shake himself out of his thoughts. “I don’t want anything, McAlister. I’m not fucking extorting you, if that’s what you’re thinking. All I wanted was to check on how Briar’s doing.”

Malachi barks out a laugh. “I highly doubt you’re keeping a secret like the fact that my mate is the only known mage-wolf hybrid alive today to yourself out of the goodness of your heart. There are lots of people who would pay millions for that information.”

He lets out a disbelieving scoff. “I have more money than I know what to do with, wolf.” When Malachi still looks skeptical, Rhys sighs. “My sister has forbidden magic, okay? I’m not in the business of turning people over to the council. Your secret is safe with me, Briar.”

“Holy shit,” Saint breathes.

“Tell anyone and I will break every goddamn bone in your body before I slit your throat and watch you die choking on your own blood. Do you understand?” Rhys’s normally hazel eyes glow a deep blue as electricity skates over my skin. I smell the peppery scent of magic as the room fills with Rhys’s considerable power.

My wolf perks up as she senses an impending confrontation, and my stubborn magic begs to be let out. The last thing I want to do is fight with Rhys, so I try to lock everything down. I’m supposed to be more powerful than the average mage. With the amount of power pouring off him, I’m not confident I’d win in a confrontation.

Holding his hands up in surrender, Saint tries to look as nonthreatening as all six foot three of him can. “I understand, man. I was just surprised since I thought she didn’t have magic. I’d never tell anyone about it, even if you weren’t threatening me.”

“Yeah, well, she can’t exactly go around telling everyone she has magic, so this was the best solution we could come up with. Anyway, enough about her. How are you feeling, Briar?” His eyes soften as he looks me up and down. While his forehead is wrinkled in worry, he seems reassured that I’m up and standing.

I shrug. “I’m okay. Better than I was earlier.” As far as I know, I’m not bleeding, so that’s a win. The pain is also only a dull ache instead of a fiery stabbing.

Rhys gives me a half smile. “So, you’re healing up?”

“Yep. It seems that way at least.” I lift my shirt up slightly to show him the top of the ragged slash on my stomach. Possessive growls sound behind me when I raise my sweater. I roll my eyes. “Oh, calm down. I’m just showing him the wound.”

Malachi’s smoky scent curls around me as he steps up behind me. He wraps one of his large hands around my throat and tugs me until I’m flush against him. His breath feathers over my ear as he leans down. “I don’t like to share outside our group, baby girl. Put down your shirt before I have to kill the mage for looking at what’s ours.” I squeak and drop my sweater. He chuckles, the sound filled with dark satisfaction. “Good girl.”

My cheeks flame as Malachi casually steps back, like he didn’t just threaten to murder someone for seeing a sliver of my torso. I try, without much success, to tame the warmth that’s pooling in my core at feeling Malachi’s hard body against mine and his hand around my neck.

Rhys blows out a relieved breath and, thankfully, ignores what just happened with my bossy wolf mate. “Good. I was fucking worried when your magic shoved mine out. Before I realized what exactly was happening, I had Finn and Cian try to heal you, too. He doesn’t know you have mage magic in addition to your wolf, though.”

“What do you mean my magic shoved you out?” My nose scrunches in confusion because I don’t think that’s typically how magic works. Any mage can perform healing magic on someone else without consent.

Rhys shrugs. “I don’t really know how to explain it. Once I healed you to a certain point, your magic formed some sort of shield around you that prevented any of my power from reaching your injury. I portaled you to the pack doctor once I realized what was happening, but it wasn’t looking good. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“You did what you could, and it all worked out,” I try to reassure him, feeling bad how down he seems. It’s not his fault that my magic is super weird. But I’m still confused about how he even knows. “How did you know I had mage magic and it wasn’t just my wolf? And why do you care so much? I’m just someone who used to go to school with your sister.”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Rhys seems to debate what to say. After a long moment, his shoulders slump. “It’s one of my… odd abilities. I can tell what species people are through touch, so I knew you were both a mage and a wolf almost immediately. I have a soft spot for people with unique magic, I guess.”

I freeze at that information. “Is your ability common?” The last thing I need is a bunch of mages being able to tell exactly what I am. I’m extremely lucky that they didn’t have one of those mages at the Knights’ facility. There’s no way I’d have been able to pass off my mage magic as shifter magic.

“No, it’s not common at all. I don’t know anyone else with the ability.” Rhys lets out a bitter laugh. “My family’s fuckin’ weird, if you can’t tell.”

A genuine laugh bubbles up. “Mine is too, so you’re in good company.”

A small grin tugs up the corners of Rhys’s lips before he sobers. “If you’re all good, do you want to get back to the briefing? We have some questions you could probably help with.”

I’m already feeling a little weak and drained from all this standing, but I’m not ready to go back to lying down. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been confined to a cell, containment circle, or lunchroom. I missed the freedom to wander around, and I’m not ready to give that up just yet. “Yep. I’ll do my best to answer, but I’m not really sure how much I can help. I didn’t see much of the facility because I was either blindfolded or unconscious whenever they brought me places.”

Rhys tilts his head in confusion. “Why were you unconscious?”

“Oh, uh, because Ryker’s a sadistic bastard and liked beating me until I passed out.” I rush to get the words out quickly, hoping my mates miss most of what I say. I know they hate hearing about me hurt, but I spoke without thinking when I mentioned that I don’t know the layout.

“Fucking hell,” Bastian hisses behind me.

When an arm reaches around my chest to pull me against someone, I expect it to be Malachi. Instead, I’m drowning in the ocean pines scent of Xander. “We won’t ever let them touch you again, sweetheart,” he vows.

I give him a small nod because I know that’s not a promise he can keep, as much as we both wish he could. Ryker’s on the loose, and I still hold the key to unraveling the whole curse.

Supposedly.

Or so some vague prophecy and a millennia-old queen tell me.

I still don’t quite believe that I’m the one destined to fix this colossal problem that’s about to get even bigger if we don’t stop Ryker. But I don’t really have a choice. I have to at least try, and whatever happens, happens.

As long as I can undo their spell, the Knights are never going to leave me alone. They’re going to keep coming after me until I’m dead or the curse is completely destroyed. There’s every chance I could end up back at a similar facility in the future, despite how much we all want to stop that from happening.

Shaking my head because there’s no use worrying about what could happen, I reluctantly pull out of Xander’s arms and start walking toward the door. Before I get very far, Saint snags my hand in his and intertwines our fingers. I look at him in surprise. He just shrugs and gives me a smile as we exit the room.

Rhys quickens his pace to be at the front of our group. We’re all lost in our thoughts as we trek back to the dining room. Pushing open one of the doors, Rhys leads us around the large dining table that’s already mostly filled with an assortment of shifters and mages. When we reach the head of the table, he gestures for us to sit down in the four open chairs.

My mates have a silent conversation with each other before Malachi takes the seat on the end that’s only bordered by a chair on one side. Once he’s seated, he grabs me by my hips and plops me down on his lap.

I let out an embarrassing squeak of surprise at the unexpected manhandling. Turning, I level Malachi with an unimpressed glare.

He gives me a smug grin as Bastian, Xander, and Saint take their seats. When I keep staring him down, his eyes turn amber. “Have something to say, baby girl?” I can hear his wolf infusing his voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other wolves freeze at the challenge pouring off Malachi.

I open my mouth to tell him no because I don’t want to do this in a room full of shifters. However, I feel Dido’s presence in my mind before she seizes control of my body. “Do that again, and I’ll sever every tendon in your arms. You won’t be able to pick anything up for at least a week. Briar may be willing to tolerate your disrespect, but I am not. Do not test me again, because you will not like the outcome. Understand?” My voice comes out with a resonance like Malachi’s alpha orders. It also sounds a bit like Dido does in my mind.

Was that really necessary? I ask her because it seems like she could’ve done that in private, not in a crowded room where pretty much everyone is staring at me.

Dido dips her head in my mind. “It was. Allowing disrespect like that once ensures it will happen again, and not just from your mate. All the shifters watching need to know that their future luna is not to be trifled with. If your mate doesn’t understand why this was necessary, he is not the man I thought he was.”

Huh. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but she does make a good point. I guess you’re right.

“I know.” I can’t help the smile at how smug Dido sounds.

I focus back on Malachi. Instead of being upset like I expect, his smile widens as his eyes lose their amber tint. He looks proud as he holds my gaze. “I do, Dido. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Dido tells him before she retreats and cedes control back to me.

My eyes widen at him just casually announcing to the whole room that Dido is chilling out in my mind. I didn’t realize we were telling anyone that, but not much I can do about it now.

Rhys clears his throat. I take that as my cue to face forward. While Dido was pissed at Malachi seating us on his lap, I don’t mind it too much. I was just peeved at his heavy-handedness.

When I turn around, I see every shifter in the room staring at me in complete and utter shock. Some of them are also wide-eyed gazing at me with awe, but most of them look on with disbelief. I feel my cheeks turn pink at being the center of attention, so I try to ignore them as I focus on Rhys.

He has his arms crossed and his hip leaned against the table. Whereas Rhys was kind and approachable in the study, he’s intense and in business mode now. “What can you tell us about the Knights’ operation?”

“Um… I’m not sure really.” I twist my hands in my lap, hating being the center of attention with a burning passion. Malachi feels my fidgeting and gently pries my hands apart. He takes each of my hands in one of his own and squeezes me reassuringly. Trying to absorb his strength, I blow out a breath and continue. “I know that the facility had five or six hundred shifters. Jordan Ryker, the head of the North American Knights, was in charge, and he was trying to find a way to expand the curse that keeps female wolves from shifting to all shifters.”

A brown-haired mage opens and closes his mouth in shock before he asks, “Wait, did you actually meet Ryker? The Ryker? No one has ever survived a confrontation with him.”

I guess Ryker is well known, at least to mages. I’d never heard of the dude before he kidnapped me. “Yep. Unfortunately, I saw him on the daily. He and his nephew did their best to kill me, though.”

I’m still kicking myself for not figuring out that Anson was a Knight earlier. He played his part damn well and was extremely convincing. I don’t think any of the other shifters knew he was a Knight, but I still feel like I should’ve known.

I guess it’s question time because a wolf with startlingly pale green eyes asks, “Did he figure it out? How to expand the curse?”

I clench my jaw as I reluctantly nod. “Yeah, he did,” I croak. Of all the questions he could’ve asked, of course the guy chose that one.

“How?” he growls as his eyes turn the yellow-gold of his wolf.

Malachi tenses under me and lets out a warning growl. I squeeze his hands, hoping he understands my wordless demand to let me handle this. Dido is right. I have to stand up for myself and command the respect of the pack.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the prophecy. I hold the key to reversing the curse, but I also apparently hold the key to strengthening it. Unfortunately, I had to give Ryker what he needed to expand it.”

“Why would you do that?” the shifter shouts as he shoves to his feet. He slams his fists down on the table as he leans over to snarl at me. “Are you working with the Knights?”

“Sit down,” I growl, my voice infused with my wolf as I alpha order him. The shifter’s eyes go wide before he involuntarily drops into his chair. I stare him down until he looks away. “I am not and never have been working with the Knights. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t enjoy getting beaten within an inch of my life or almost dying. I gave him what he needed because it was the only way to save an innocent five-year-old shifter. I can undo whatever damage Ryker does, but I can’t bring a child back. Before you hurl accusations, learn all the facts first.”

When I’m done speaking, the shifter hangs his head and glances up at me through his lashes, his eyes shining with remorse. “I’m sorry, luna,” he whispers as he tilts his head to show me his throat. “It won’t happen again.”

I stare at him for a beat longer before I nod sharply. “See that it doesn’t. What’s your name?”

“James,” he tells me reluctantly. He’s looking at me like he’s unsure if I’m going to leap across the table and rip out his throat for his behavior. While I can’t let his blatant disrespect stand, I also don’t have any desire to hurt him. Fear alone isn’t the way to win respect. It has to be tempered with kindness, compassion, and working for the good of the average person.

“Do you have any other questions, James?” I ask, trying to make sure he knows that I’m not angry at him.

He eyes me uncertainly for a moment before cautiously asking, “How are you going to stop Ryker?”

A slightly unhinged giggle tries to slip out, but I force it down. I want to know the same thing, but, unfortunately, no answers have dropped out of the sky yet. Here’s hoping that will change before I have to confront Ryker again.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. I’ve managed to fuck up the Knights’ plans before, and it’ll be no different this time.” I project a confidence I don’t feel because I don’t really have any other option than pulling a solution out of my ass.

Without the ability to turn into our animal forms, shifters will be basically defenseless. If other species or the Knights want to wipe us out, they’ll easily be able to. I can’t let that happen any more than I could let Annabel get hurt. I found a way to keep her safe, so I have to believe that I can find a way to fix this too.

As the briefing continues, I can’t help but think about how only time will tell if I’m the reason wolf shifters thrive or if I’m why we all die out.