I’d been able to keep all my worst behaviors in check when Whitney and Laura arrived and behaved like somewhat of a gentleman, showing them the cabins and the first spot where we had spotted the demons, even with everything in me screaming to claim her right then and there. Not seeing my mate for an entire week had been hell, but I had made it through knowing that I’d be seeing her again in a week, and in my own territory no less.
Everything had been fine until the demons had ambushed us, and all of them had turned toward Whitney, all but ignoring me and Laura. My plan had already been set into motion—I would lock her in her cabin that night and set guards outside of it, keeping her isolated and forcing her to get to know me until she relented and gave into the mating bond. But then that damn demon attack, and Whitney’s confession combined to make her and I both lose our minds.
I wanted to rage and destroy everything around me, thinking that she had been out in the open with a target written on her back this whole time. What if she had been killed before we even met? What if the demons never stopped coming for her, now that they somehow knew she had witch’s blood?
When she stormed off I yelled her name and made to follow her, but a hand had grabbed my arm from behind and stopped me. I snarled, whipping around to face whoever dared to stop me, but managed to control myself when I saw that it was Laura.
“Get off of me,” I snapped.
“No,” she said, not letting go of my arm. “You need to cool off before you go after her, or else you’re just going to make things worse.”
I knew she was right, but that didn’t stop the rage boiling up inside of me. Everything had been fine, until it wasn’t.
How could she have kept that from me? For years, she’d been putting herself in danger when she was exactly what the demons were looking for. I wanted to shake her and scream at her, demanding that she never put herself in danger like that ever again.
“Let go of my arm,” I said, turning to look at Laura.
She didn’t let go. Instead, she tightened her grip, digging her nails into my skin. “Are you calm?”
I nodded, and she slowly loosened her grip, stepping back a little bit. “Good. You’re not thinking straight, Julian.”
I barked a laugh, shoving my hands through my hair. “How aren’t you freaking out about this? I assume you were in the dark, too.”
Laura didn’t look bothered, though. “I didn’t know about the witch blood thing, no, but I sort of suspected something was different about Whitney. She’s been spelling our blades for years, and she’ll give us satchels filled with crystals for protection during the more dangerous missions. But she didn’t want to talk about it, and it was none of my business.”
“She could have gotten herself killed,” I muttered, pacing back and forth across the grass. “And she’s still refusing to be my mate.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “You’ve known her for all of two days, Julian. She isn’t going to fall into your arms at the first sign of danger.”
“You’re unmated. You don’t get it.”
“Maybe not fully, but I know Whitney. She cares for her team and her friends above all else, and she’d do anything for them. You’re not even trying to earn her trust to make a foundation. You just want her to be your mate without putting in any work. Your reputation fucking sucks, and there are multiple wolves who would kill you on sight if given the chance. Why would she want you as a mate?”
An acidic reply was on my tongue, but I held it back as I processed her words. She was right, I wasn’t going to waste time convincing my mate to be my fucking friend when she was in danger. I couldn’t force her to claim me as one of the people she cared about most, but one of those people was standing in front of me right now. Just like Laura said, Whitney would do anything to protect her.
Anything.
Laura was a demon hunter and a capable wolf all on her own, but I knew that Whitney was the major power on her team. Laura could hold her own against demons, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that she’d stand no chance against five wolves…which is exactly how many Reckless Stalkers were left there while the rest were defending Silverfang Creek territory.
Whitney would do anything to protect Laura. And if Laura’s freedom could only be earned by completing the mating ritual with me…well. It was one hell of an idea, but if I fucked it up then I’d never see Whitney again, I was sure of it.
So I kept my expression neutral and pretended to mull over Laura’s words. “You think she’d change her tune if I fixed my reputation?” It was a pointless question, but I needed to lay the groundwork for the new plan I was working out in my head.
“No, dumbass, I think that’s one step of a million you need to take. Having some of your pack guard the Silverfangs is a good step, but it’s only been a few days. It might take YEARS for the damage you’ve done with Naomi and Danny to be worked through. Your pack is small and barely recognized, you’re known as a potential mate killer…I can’t even guess how you could turn that all around, but Whitney isn’t going to lower herself to your level.”
“Well,” I said, “Then what should I do?”
Laura sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Just give her some time to cool off. Go get something to eat, check in on the wolves who are still here, and make sure nothing else has gone wrong. We’re here for at least two weeks, right? So you have time to at least make her not pissed at you before we go home.”
She was right about one thing, I couldn’t just charge into Whitney’s cabin and demand that she mate with me, no matter how much I wanted to. My wolf was already pissed at me for not claiming our mate when we first saw her, and he was pissed again for having to wait now. But there was something I could do that would get us closer to what we wanted.
But Whitney wasn’t going home. She WAS home. She just didn’t know it yet.
“Alright. Look, I’m going to order pizzas for the pack that’s still here and I’ll get one for you and Whitney. Come to my cabin at 7 pm and pick it up if you’re hungry.”
“Okay,” Laura said, looking surprised that I was listening to her. “I’ll see you then. Thanks, Julian. For the pizza, I mean. You’re still a prick.”
“You’re welcome,” I said sarcastically, watching as she walked away. The instant she was out of sight I pulled out my phone and started texting, sending orders to the four wolves left behind from guard duty.
Me: Laura is getting food at my place at 7 tonight. It’s going to be laced with sedatives. You all have two jobs. Grab her and keep her quiet once the sedatives have kicked in. You’re going to have to store her away from the cabins so Whitney doesn’t find her as soon as she wakes up. Then the rest of you need to find a witch that can perform a mating ceremony. Any witch that isn’t affiliated with another pack will work.
Ethan: Yes, Alpha. But can we ask why?
Me: This is for Whitney. The demons are after her and the only way to keep her safe is to make her my mate. She’ll do anything for Laura, including accepting me as her mate. I don’t care what you have to do or who you have to kidnap, just make it happen.
I was putting a lot of trust in my wolves, which made my stomach clench when I remembered what Rick and Tanner had done to Naomi. I had told them to use a normal sedative, and those fucking morons had used wolfsbane. But that fuck up had gotten them kicked to the bottom of the pack hierarchy, and while my second, James was leading the first rotation of Silverfang Creek territory guards, Ethan was competent enough without the streak of cruelty that Rick and Tanner seemed to share.
With that thought, I pulled my phone back out and added a last message.
Me: Ethan, lead Laura’s kidnapping. Claudio find the witch. Rick and Tanner answer to you two.
They all sent back a barrage of ‘Yes, Boss’ messages, and I was satisfied for the moment. I gripped my keys in my jeans pocket and looked longingly at my motorcycle. It would be nice to take a long ride to chill out, but I couldn’t bring back pizzas on the back of a bike. So a long drive would have to do.
Feeling my anticipation growing, and the satisfaction of having a plan in place, I walked toward my old Jeep wearing a smirk. I hoped the girls had a nice few hours together because they were about to be separated—sooner rather than later.
***
The next night
I spent the rest of last night and the following day preparing for the mating ritual and making sure that my wolves didn’t fuck up the jobs I gave them.
The pizza portion went fine, which almost made me feel bad. Almost. Whitney and Laura trusted me enough to eat the food I provided, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case anymore. Not after they got knocked out for hours on end.
I had the keys to all the cabins and Ethan had taken Tanner to snatch Laura out of her and Whitney’s shared cabin. I considered just taking Whitney then, too, but I needed her to be alert and in good enough shape to actually go through with the ritual, not groggy and out of it, so it was better to let her wake up naturally.
Plus, the shock factor was something I was counting on. I wanted her pushed into a corner when she stumbled on my plan, and to make the decision to complete the ritual as quickly as possible. It wouldn’t be easy to get the smart and quick-thinking Whitney to be impulsive, but I figured that having Laura hostage was my best chance.
Claudio had a harder time finding a witch on short notice, especially since he couldn’t reach out to other pack witches for references. He’d had to go into town and skulk around a few occult shops and clubs to make some connections.
Finally, though, he found an unaffiliated witch named Erin who had the right skill set and agreed to do the job without asking too many questions. As long as she got paid, she didn’t care about the circumstances. Claudio picked her up and they met with me and the other two wolves at our rendezvous point—an abandoned barn a little ways outside of our ring of cabins.
It was still light out, but the sun would be setting soon and I wanted to have everything ready before then.
“Hey, Boss,” Claudio said as he pulled up in his truck. A pretty girl with a short blue pixie cut hopped out of the passenger side and looked at me with a mix of curiosity and distaste.
“Is this the place?” she asked. Her eyes kept darting to the barn and then back to the trees like she was waiting for something to jump out and grab her.
“Yes this is it,” I replied, putting on my most charming smile. “Erin, right?”
“That’s me. Claudio told me the basics, but you guys have a mating ceremony to perform, correct?”
“Yes,” I said, “And we’re very grateful that you agreed to do this. If you follow me, I can explain more of what I need done.”
I turned and headed into the barn, and Erin and Claudio followed. Claudio was at the witch’s back in case she tried to make a run for it once she saw what we had set up, and just as I expected, the witch stopped in her tracks once she spotted Laura.
Handcuffed with a bandana over her mouth, Laura was spitting mad, screaming obscenities past her bandana gag, which were muffled by the material. She was on the floor, hands behind her back, and a rope was tied around her legs, keeping her from standing.
I watched Erin’s eyes go wide as she realized that she’d been hired for more than just a simple mating ceremony.
“Why is that woman tied up?” she asked, taking a step backward.
“Because she’s my mate’s best friend and will try to stop us from claiming each other,” I replied simply. “Look, we have the money and we’ll pay you what we agreed on. There’s no reason for you to worry about this. This woman is in no real danger and my mate and I were matched in a mate match ceremony. It’s all wolf shit, don’t think about it too much. The quicker this gets done the quicker we can let this woman go.”
Erin’s eyes flicked back and forth between Laura, who was still screaming into her gag, and Claudio. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. “Okay,” she said with a nod. “Let’s get started then.”
We’d had to improvise a few things since Whitney would be unaware that this was a mating ritual until the very last second. In a normal mating ritual, the she-wolf would run toward a fire deep in the woods, and if her mate didn’t catch her in time she would remain unmated but risked being shunned by the pack. It was usually all for show—the she-wolf would let herself be caught and the mating would commence. No one ever really wanted to make it to the fire.
I didn’t think Whitney would aim for the fire, either, considering Laura’s freedom depended on our mating, but just in case she changed her mind at the last minute we made sure to set the distant fire much farther away than usual.
Other traditions, like the doe masks, decoy she-wolves, and my mate being naked under her cloak also had to be thrown aside, but that was all just for show anyway. I had what I needed—a witch and a reason for Whitney to agree.
The sun was just starting to set when I heard the sound of booted feet sprinting through the woods. Whitney.
Ethan had sent a message from Laura’s phone, explaining to Whitney where she was being held and that if she contacted her pack, then we’d kill Laura immediately. In order to keep her friend safe, the message said, she needed to come to the location alone.
Erin stood in front of a small fire, arms working as she muttered incantations, the magic of the mating ritual filling the air. My wolf was pacing beneath my skin, anxious to go hunt down his mate.
“How close are we?” I asked Erin, looking up at the sky to see how much daylight we had left. The sun would set soon, and the ceremony would be complete.
“Almost done,” she replied. “I just need another minute.”
I heard Whitney crashing through the trees and turned toward the sound, my heartbeat speeding up in anticipation. I heard the footsteps slow as she approached the clearing where we were all gathered, and then stop as she caught sight of us. Her blue eyes went wide and her mouth opened in a silent gasp as she spotted me first. She was dressed in her usual combat boots, jeans, and a black t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her hands drifted to the blades strapped to each hip and she took a step backward, clearly ready to run.
“Ah-ah-ah,” I said, shaking my head. “You better come here, or else I’ll start carving up your little friend here.”
Laura was still gagged and tied up on the ground, glaring daggers at all of us. Erin stood in front of a fire that had been built in a small metal basin, hands moving in intricate gestures as she chanted the incantation that would bind our souls together—if I caught Whitney and completed the mating bite, that is.
“What is this?” Whitney asked, her voice hard as she looked at me, then the witch, then Laura. “Let her go!”
“Not until the ritual is complete,” I replied, shrugging. “So you have two choices. Agree to the mating ritual and then we’ll release your friend. Or don’t, and we’ll just kill her. I suppose you could try and fight, but—" I gestured to all my wolves around us. “We outnumber you.”
Whitney’s eyes narrowed, and I saw her jaw clench as she tried to figure out what to do. She’d been in plenty of situations where she had to make quick decisions about whether or not to fight, but I knew this was unlike anything she’d ever had to face before.
“You’d be fine knowing you forced the bond on me?” she gritted out between her teeth, rushing up until we were almost nose to nose. Her citrusy scent met my nose, her blue eyes flashing with hatred.
I didn’t let myself smile. She was making this too easy. “The bond is already there, we both know it. I can smell the way your body reacts to mine, and I can see that you want me, Whitney. The bite will just seal it all in place. The moment you agree we’ll free Laura. All you have to do is run.” I couldn’t hold back the grin anymore, “All I have to do is catch you. And I will catch you, Sweetheart.”
Her eyes fl”shed with rage as I called her sweetheart, and her hand came up lightning-fast, slapping me across the face. The sound echoed in the clearing, and it stung fiercely. “You might catch me, you fucking prick, but I will NEVER love you.”
Just in time, we all felt as Erin completed the spell and the magic of the ritual clicked into place, flooding the night air around us. “Make your choice, Whitney,” I told her, her slap still burning on my cheek. It might make me fucked up, but her strike turned me on more than anything ever had before.
Her eyes flicked to Laura and she hesitated for a long second. She knew she didn’t have a choice, but I saw her struggle against it anyway. It was just like her. Fierce and loyal to the end.
“Fine,” she said after a moment. “Let her go and I’ll go through with it.”
“No,” Laura screamed behind her gag, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes.
“Get her out of here,” I told Claudio. He grabbed Laura’s arm and lifted her roughly to her feet.
“If you hurt her,” she whispered, turning to me with fire in her eyes, “I will kill you.”
“Calm down, Sweetheart,” I said with a grin. “Laura won’t be hurt, as long as you stay true to your word. You run, and we release her. Easy.”
A million emotions played over her beautiful face, the firelight painting her pale skin in colors like a sunset. Whitney didn’t cry, but I could tell she was agonized. I briefly wished that it didn’t have to be this way, but the slight guilt was eclipsed by the fact that I was about to complete the mating ritual. Finally, finally, she would be mine.
“I hate you,” she said simply, undoing her blade belt and letting the weapons fall to the ground. “You might catch me, Julian Payne, but I’m not going to make it easy on you.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
With that, she sucked in a shaky breath, turned, and took off into the woods. I gave her the traditional ten count before taking off after her, my wolf snarling with excitement.
This was it. All I had to do was catch her. Catch Whitney, my mate, and make her mine.