Page 17

WHEN LUKAS saw Rían had made omelets and hash browns the next morning, he was overjoyed at having a home-cooked meal, even if it was breakfast. If he hadn’t known Rían would refuse outright, he would have suggested that Caius offer him a place in their pack.

He couldn’t exactly blame Rían for not wanting anything to do with shifters, especially as he was nearly done with his required service to the Order and was one of the few mages not bound to them. If anyone could walk away at the end of their service, it would be him.

The three of them were nearly done eating by the time Caius and Max deigned to join them, and Lukas snorted quietly at the way their scents were thoroughly mixed. Not that he expected anything less, considering how loud Max had been last night.

Rían retrieved two plates from the oven and set them on the table, his eyes flicking to Max’s neck and the new claiming mark there with a brief frown, but he didn’t comment.

He picked up his own plate and set it in the sink.

“I should be finished with your wards in about an hour, but you’ll have to get someone else to add anything other than protection from basic magic attacks and trespassers.

” He didn’t wait for a response before slipping outside, leaving the four of them alone with a silent, smitten Caius and an endearingly embarrassed Max.

Quinn was, unsurprisingly, the first to break the silence. “Finally,” he said, exasperation in every letter. “So, good?” He glanced between them with a grin and waggle of his eyebrows.

Max flushed and shoveled food into his mouth, refusing to look at any of them.

Lukas finished his coffee and left them to Quinn’s probing in favor of his morning run.

Even though Caius said he took care of the man who’d sent thugs after him, he still kept his guard up and his senses tuned into his surroundings.

The longer Max was with them, the higher the chance of someone getting an idea of trying to take him.

And anyone smart would try to pick them off one by one .

He didn’t believe in fate or luck, and he certainty didn’t think he could see the future, but he trusted his instincts.

In the patterns picked up by his subconscious.

That had saved his ass more times than he could count on a mission, when something felt off, enough to set his teeth on edge, and he’d gotten his men out before a building exploded around them.

He had that same feeling now. Like something dark hovered just past the horizon, too close to ignore but too far away to see or prepare for. Waiting games might be the worst, but he was a sniper. Waiting was what he was best at.

LUKAS FOUND himself in the sitting room later that afternoon, watching Rían make charms and amulets while coaching Max.

He didn’t understand a word of it, but he was fascinated by the charms and gentle working of magic.

Rían’s magic always felt different from others, more refined and precise, and he’d certainly proven to be far more talented and reliable than other mages Lukas had worked with.

“Here,” Rían said, finishing with a necklace and holding it out to Max. “Wear this all the time, even at home. It’s enchanted pure silver, and I’ve put a dozen protective wards into the triquetra itself.”

Max took the necklace like he was afraid it would shatter with his touch. “Isn’t silver toxic to wolves?”

Lukas shook his head. “That’s a myth. The only thing that really hurts us is aconite. Or a very lucky head shot.”

He didn’t look entirely convinced, but he put the necklace on. Once it was in place, Rían nodded and slumped against the couch where he was sitting on the floor.

“Get some rest, squirrel.”

Rían shot him an annoyed glare, which was ruined by his yawn. “I need to make a few more charms.”

“You don’t,” Max said. “You’ve done plenty. I can feel the power in this thing. It should be more than enough by itself.”

Rían frowned at him. “If you were a trained mage, maybe. But you pissed off the Order, and you’ve got the attention of the entire city now, too, if not the state.

That charm is only going to protect you a handful of times before it goes out, and any mage worth anything will know how to override it fast. Once I leave here, I won’t be able to get another one to you for a few weeks, at least. I already have another two assignments.

” He muttered a familiar curse in Irish under his breath.

“Do they not give you time to recover?” Lukas asked with a soft growl.

Rían shrugged. “I only have two months left. They’re determined to work me to the very end.”

“Get some rest,” Max said. “Then maybe show me how to recharge this thing without blowing it up?”

Rían looked like he wanted to argue, but he must have been more exhausted than he was letting on, because he nodded. “Only need a few hours.”

“Yeah right.” Lukas suspected he needed more like a solid ten and had no intention of waking him before then.

“And name your familiar!” Rían added over his shoulder.

“I already named her Aradia!” Max called back with a roll of his eyes.

Once Rían was out of earshot, he turned his attention to Max, who was holding the amulet up and flicking it so it spun.

The magic infused in it was visible, making it look like a tiny ball of molten silver.

The small smile on his lips wasn’t something Lukas had seen except when Caius or Quinn was fawning over him.

“Can you tell me why you don’t like me?” The words escaped before he could think better of it, but Max was supposed to be pack now. A bigger pack might have members who didn’t get along, but it was just the four of them. Any issue with one was an issue for them all.

Max sighed and dropped the necklace. “It’s not that…. You remind me of one of my father’s men. He was quiet and would always watch me, laugh when he would sneak up and scare the shit out of me. I know it’s stupid—”

“It’s not stupid,” he said firmly. “I’ll try not to sneak up on you, but I can’t help being quiet.”

“That’s okay.” Max bit his lip, glancing at Lukas before standing and carefully stepping around Rían’s mess of supplies to sit on the other end of the couch, drawing a leg up so he could face Lukas. “Can I ask something?”

“Sure.” Lukas shifted to mirror him so they faced each other, his curiosity piqued.

“You all can really turn into wolves? ”

“Yes.”

Max narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You were on the inside.”

Lukas snorted but didn’t try to deny it. “Is that really what you wanted to ask?”

“No….” He squirmed, and his scent shifted with an interesting mix of embarrassment and arousal. “Wolves, when they have sex, they… you know….”

Lukas raised an eyebrow as he certainly did not know. Maybe he had an idea, but he definitely wanted to hear Max say it. “They what?”

Max glared even as his ears turned red. “They pop a knot!”

“Yeah, and?” Lukas tilted his head and nearly choked holding back a laugh. He lost it when Max flung a pillow at his face, using it to smother his laughter.

“You’re a dick.”

“So I’ve been told.” Lukas dropped the pillow to his lap. “What are you trying to ask?”

Max shrugged, picking at a piece of lint on his sleeve. “The movies always imply that happens in your human form too.”

“And by movies you mean porn?” He snickered as the other pillow hit him and tossed it back. “That’s a Hollywood myth. We’re not a hybrid.” He tilted his head with a smirk. “Why? Disappointed you didn’t get some hot alpha knot?”

“Don’t make me set you on fire.”

“Oh, feisty,” he purred, enjoying the way Max flushed. “Do you want to see?”

“Your knot? No thanks.”

Lukas laughed. “My wolf, you little shit.”

Max shivered, hugging the pillow to his chest. “Yeah, okay.”

“Sure you won’t freak out?”

“Can’t be any worse than in the movies, right?”

“The movies never get anything right,” Lukas muttered. He considered dropping it, but he hadn’t shifted in a while. He’d been away on missions the last couple of months, and Caius hadn’t shifted since his injury, so they never had a proper pack run.

He stood and moved to the far side of the room, pretending not to notice the sudden spike in Max’s heartbeat. He ran his fingers through his hair as he took a slow, deep breath, before pulling his shirt off and shoving his jeans and boxers down as he unleashed his wolf.

Maybe there used to be a time when the movies were right, with the shift being an agonizing tearing of flesh and reshaping of bones as a human body bent and twisted into a shape it shouldn’t be able to take.

But mages had mingled with wolves for centuries, and their legends said a powerful mage had gifted wolves with a painless shift centuries ago.

Between one breath and the next, Lukas shed his human skin and the world tilted as he landed on four large paws. He gave a vigorous shake of his body, settling his thick black fur into place before promptly sitting on his hind legs and focusing on Max.

The mage sat frozen on the couch, hardly breathing as he stared. “Holy fuck,” he whispered. “Oh my fucking God. The movies are so wrong.” He leaned forward as if to stand and ended up on his knees on the floor, though he didn’t seem to notice. “You’re really a wolf. Holy crap.”

Lukas tilted his head as he watched, his tail tip thumping against the floor in amusement. It’d been a while since he’d seen someone’s first reaction to a shift. Watching a human’s brain break in real time was never a disappointment.

“Can I pet you?”

He lowered his head and stood, then took a step forward when Max didn’t flinch.

He slowly crossed the room and pressed his nose into Max’s cheek, breathing in the smoke-and-citrus mixed with Caius’ winter storm scent.

The fingers burrowing into his fur felt amazing, and he closed his eyes, leaning into the scritches and squirming to guide them to the back of his neck, then to his chest.

“You’re really just an overgrown puppy, aren’t you?”

Lukas growled, cracking his eyes open when Max froze, wariness curling through his scent. If he could have rolled his eyes he would have. Instead, he settled for licking Max’s face, his tongue hanging out when Max spluttered and wiped his mouth.

“Augh, gross. Dog breath. In my mouth,” he whined, gagging.

Lukas jumped forward, ignoring Max’s indignant squawk as he sprawled his considerable weight over the mage and pinned him to the floor.

“Fuck, you’re heavy,” Max groaned, squirming beneath him. His arms flopped like a beached whale before giving up. “I take it back. You’re not a puppy, you’re a big, scary wolf, now get offff.”

Lukas ignored him and licked his face again, pleased when the lingering fear in Max’s scent cleared, though the smell of burning fur was far more concerning.