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CHAPTER TEN

M y heart skipped a beat. How much more damage had we caused between our packs? Relations were already teetering on the edge due to the manufactured fated-mate bond.

The shifters who stood outside their homes stared our way.

Sun stood beside Reid, jaw ticking and eyes cutting straight through me.

I stopped. We needed to give them space right now. They were upset, and the worst thing we could do was come up on them like we were trying to dominate the conversation.

“We didn’t mean to put anyone at risk.” I kept my voice measured, but the words landed with less impact than I hoped. “Vampires were scouting the area and stumbled upon us. They didn’t cross the perimeter, and we couldn’t alert you since we didn’t have a phone.” I didn’t mention that we ‘d been looking for a possible threat in the first place.

“Why were you near the perimeter?” Sun lifted a brow. “We informed you we would be handling security.”

I opened my mouth to answer, trying to figure out how to respond without telling them someone had come into our room undetected. It would only cause more problems among us.

Ryker stepped forward with an unreadable expression. “It was my decision.”

Sun’s head tilted back. “So you all decided to scout the area. Why?”

“It wasn’t a full hunt.” Ryker’s jaw flexed. “It was a check-in. Quiet recon. I felt that something was off. We kept close and didn’t cross the perimeter.”

Reid’s cane struck the porch with a dull thud. “You didn’t think to tell me? To tell any of us? If something felt off, we deserved to know.”

Ryker’s arm brushed mine. “I did what I had to do. Ember was in danger. Something had breached the house—something we couldn’t identify. I wasn’t about to wait around and risk it happening again.”

“Something breached the house ?” Reid’s gaze cut through him. “And you didn’t care that my entire pack—or what’s left of it—was in danger too? You just left, without consulting or informing us?”

Ryker took a step forward. “It wasn’t after your pack. It was after Ember.”

A growl rumbled low in Reid’s throat. “And how the hell do you know that?”

“I just do,” Ryker snapped. “He watched her sleep and didn’t make a sound. Didn’t stir anyone else. If he’d wanted blood, he would’ve taken it then. He was there for her. No one else.”

Are you going to do anything, Briar asked, moving to my side. She glanced back and forth between the two alphas.

“And you’re just...trusting your gut?” Reid shot back. “That’s the kind of reckless logic that gets people killed. You don’t know his intent.”

Gage muttered under his breath. “Of course he’s causing problems. The spell must still be working.”

“I know enough,” Ryker growled, eyes glowing now, his wolf skimming just beneath the surface. And he linked, Shut the fuck up, Gage, before speaking out loud. “He didn’t lay a finger on anyone else. He had the chance and didn’t take it.”

Tension coiled like a whip a mere breath away from snapping, and it came from within our own pack as well as the Blackwoods’. All this conflict was tearing us apart from both sides.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, a tingle slid down my spine like a warm breath. The exact warmth that only the strange man caused.

I turned my head, eyes sweeping the trees at the edge of the clearing, and came up with nothing.

Not a glint of light. Not a flicker of movement.

Still, I felt him. The urge to seek him out rose, but I couldn’t do that.

Not here.

Not now.

If I admitted I felt him, both packs would take their frustration out on him.

I took a breath and stepped between the two males, lifting both hands. Reid was still several feet away, but I placed one hand on Ryker’s muscled chest, hoping my touch would ease some of his anger.

“That’s enough.” My voice rang clear but sounded tighter than I’d intended. I didn’t need Ryker to sense my distress right now, because there would be no reasoning with him.

I exhaled, focusing on Reid and Sun. “We should’ve told you,” I continued. “You’re right. If there was a threat—any threat—you and your pack had every right to know. What we did… it wasn’t just reckless. It was disrespectful, and I’m sorry.”

Ryker stiffened but didn’t interrupt.

We were on the same side. We had to get over the animosity manufactured by the vampires in order to get through this.

We, the Blackwoods, and the Shae pack had all lost too much. None of us should be left in the dark any longer.

Reid stared at me. His jaw worked like he wanted to keep pushing, but my words—my tone—had landed.

Finally, he gave a tight nod. “We’ll talk inside,” he said flatly. “All of us.”

“Are you serious?” Sun’s mouth dropped. “They—”

He cut his eyes to her, and she stopped talking. He frowned, clearly not liking being questioned in front of his pack.

I understood his situation. He’d become an alpha because of his father’s death, and he was injured with a huge threat looming at his property line. He couldn’t seem weak, not in the slightest.

Sun cleared her throat. “Of course, let’s talk.”

Reid limped toward the house with Sun shadowing him. She glanced back at me with a look just as guarded as his.

We followed in tense silence and filed into their home one by one. The scents of blood and herbs still clung to the air, thick and acrid. A reminder of the night they’d lost so many and how injured Reid had been himself.

Ryker stayed close to me, the tension in his body making him move as if he had to force himself to go forward. I took his hand and tried to push calm toward him, hoping to take off the edge. I could feel how much he hated this—being called into another alpha’s space and expected to fall in line.

Remember, this is about aligning and keeping all shifters and witches safe. Not all the witches are as bad as Cassi, and the vampires are a whole other ball game, I linked only to Ryker. You’re my alpha now, and I’m asking you to consider the needs of all. If you don’t, we may not be able to achieve justice for the loved ones we lost.

He exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment as Reid eased into a chair at the head of the room, shoulders rigid, cane resting beside him. Sun stood to his right, arms folded, her gaze cutting through every one of us like she was daring someone to step out of line.

Xander growled, clearly feeling similarly to another alpha giving commands.

I didn’t want to overstep, but the bridge between Ryker and the other three men of our pack needed to be repaired. You may want to caution them to be rational. I didn’t want to be the one to inform them of what was needed.

Reid straightened his spine, trying to look strong despite his injuries. “If you aren’t going to respect our pack, especially since we extended a home to you for safety, then you’ll have to leave. I’ve lost too much to gamble what little we have left.”

Clenching his hands, Gage bared his teeth, and Briar grabbed his forearm like she was preparing to hold him back.

Hand tightening, Ryker linked with all of us, Calm down. I don’t like it either, but we’re not going to be able to take out the vampires by ourselves. We need allies, and the Blackwoods have extended their home to us.

Satisfied that he’d taken the lead with our pack, I interjected, knowing that saying the words out loud would be harder. “You’re right, and we understand.”

Sun’s and Reid’s heads jerked back as if they hadn’t expected that.

Ryker tilted his head and inhaled deeply. “To be honest, my pack isn’t used to having to coordinate with other packs. We give orders, and others obey.”

Fair. I hadn’t thought of it that way. The Grimstone pack had been the protectors of the royals and had obeyed the king and no one else. They didn’t have to work with other packs; they’d ensured the others stayed in line.

“Well, that’s not the case anymore, and we need a royal fast—before our power begins draining.” Reid sighed. “But we need to address one problem at a time. From now on, I want full cooperation and transparency. If anyone in your group senses a threat—whether it’s a vampire, shadow, or your weird magical stalker—you come to me.”

Gage, Xander, and Kendric huffed a little, but Briar held her breath like she hoped Ryker would agree.

I did too, but I couldn’t push him. He was the alpha. I’d given up that right by rejecting the bonds when they’d tried to come to me.

Ryker’s mouth twitched, but he gave a stiff nod. “Fine.”

His displeasure twisted between us as he swallowed hard.

Silence stretched a beat too long before the front door creaked open again.

Every head turned.

A sharp citrusy scent rolled in first—bitter orange and dried herbs—followed by the thud of heavy boots. Bruce, the Shea pack’s alpha, entered the house, his broad shoulders filling the doorframe. His normally groomed hair was a mess, and the dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced. His usually sharp green eyes were dulled. “Sorry it took so long to get here.” He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Another pack member died.”

My heart cracked further. Another life lost, and for what? I wasn’t even sure what Queen Ambrosia’s end goal was.

“I’m so sick of this. What the hell does she even want?” Xander snapped, dragging a hand through his hair. “Is this just about killing? Or is she after something bigger?”

Silence followed. The kind that made us feel like the air had thickened.

“Fuck if I know.” Gage ran a hand over his face. “Every time we saw her, she seemed so considerate and friendly.”

“There’s no telling how long she’s harbored this hatred.” There had to be something we were missing, but I didn’t know what.

“She’s going after the strongest packs,” Ryker murmured.

“Maybe anyone she views as a threat?” Briar asked, glancing between Reid and Ryker. “It started with the royals and the protector pack, right?”

“Every attack has been deliberate,” I mused. There had to be something we weren’t seeing. Something that would make it all make sense. “None of this has been random.”

Ryker pursed his lips. “She’s hunting something—or someone.”

Bruce walked into the room and leaned against the wall. “You’re not wrong, but why kill the vampire nest? Those were her own people.”

My heart stalled, and a sour taste filled my mouth. Flashing back to the nest killing had my stomach churning. It had been so bloody and devastating. “It did kind of solidify in my mind that the attackers were a shifter group, especially with the strange scent.”

“Wait.” Briar lifted a hand. “How do they smell like shifters? Is that witch magic?”

Bruce crossed his arms. “Yeah, and it was like we couldn’t make out individual scents.”

“Like it was blended.” I remembered that it had been faint, but I’d assumed that was because of the cloaking spell.

Sun placed a hand on Reid’s shoulder and muttered, “It couldn’t be part of the masking charm, right?”

Shoulders sagging slightly, Reid shook his head. “There’s only one way to get that answer.”

The room went quiet, and I had no doubt we all knew what that meant.

Getting Cassi involved.

Ryker snarled, sharp and low. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Did we not just learn that witches can’t be trusted?”

“The best way to get answers is to talk to one of them,” Reid snapped, eyes locked on Ryker. “Because none of us knows, and she’s been with my pack for years and never messed up before.”

“That was a huge fucking mess up,” Gage interjected.

“I agree.” Ryker held an arm out. “She manipulated fated-mate bonds. The most important connection.”

“She might also be the only one who can tell us what kind of magic can make a vampire smell like a shifter,” Reid said evenly. “So, unless you want to keep playing in the dark, she’s our best option.”

I bit my lip and looked between them. They were both right—and I hated it.

Reid’s eyes glowed, indicating he was using the pack link.

“Are you sure?” Sun wrinkled her nose.

“I am.” Reid’s irises returned to their normal blue. “Cassi should be here within minutes. Jaren is fetching her.”

This isn’t a good idea, Kendric linked.

At least, that’s something we can agree on right now, Ryker replied.

Xander added, Then why the fuck are we waiting here for her to arrive?

Because we can’t do this alone, I replied, realizing how quickly my words had changed in such a short time. I’d been ready to take Briar and run, but now I understood what Briar believed. If we ran, there would be fewer people to fight for what was right. And Reid’s right. What other option do we have? We’ll smell it if she lies, and I can see the shadows when witch magic is activated.

So there’s not much chance she can fool us if we ask the right questions, Briar added, coming to my side.

Good point, Xander replied, rocking back on his heels. What could really go wrong?

For the love of Fate, please don’t challenge her. Gage blew out his cheeks, reminding me of a puffer fish.

I smiled a little, but I understood the sentiment. I firmly believed that Fate hated me—we didn’t need to tempt her further.

“All I want are some fucking answers because I’m tired of losing pack members.” Bruce scratched the scruff on his chin. “I don’t care how we get them.”

Ryker scoffed. I understand that all too well.

He had to be talking about his own soul-cloaking spell.

We lapsed into heavy silence, until the front door creaked open.

Cassi stepped in slowly, her expression unreadable. Her eyes flicked to me first, then Ryker, and finally to Reid. She folded in on herself, not looking like the strong, confident witch I’d seen before.

Reid stood and winced. “We need to know how the vampires are masking their scent to smell like shifters. Is there a spell that can counter the one they’re under?”

Cassi blinked. “Witches can’t cast a spell to make someone smell like a different species. It’s about the balance of power. We can’t manipulate what the goddess inhibits.”

My stomach dropped, and the walls seemed to close in on me.

Reid frowned. “So you’re saying it’s not possible?”

Wringing her hands, she nodded. “Unfortunately, no.”

“So we’re back to nothing,” Gage muttered.

Cassi’s gaze shifted to me. “Not exactly.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

Her face lit up a little. “I stayed up all last night, and I came up with a plan.”