17. Mai

Chapter seventeen

Mai

T he warm light from the Christmas tree flickered softly, casting shadows that danced on the walls of the Alpha House. Silver strands of tinsel fluttered ever so slightly in the draft that came through the old windowpanes, and the smell of cinnamon, apples, and gingerbread wafted through the room. Ben was in one corner of the lounge playing charades with Tucker and Lark, but all three of them kept shooting nervous glances at us. They knew something was up, Lark especially.

Maxwell was standing off to the side, hovering near Lark. Mason, Shya, Derek, and Sam all looked relaxed but had positioned themselves around the room in the best places to fend off any attack. We were all on edge. Jase was at the fireplace, trying his best to ignore Amara and Cameron as they held hands and whispered to each other by the window.

Ryan stood, arms crossed, glowering over Waylen’s shoulder at the six laptops he was running on the table as if he could make the witches appear on the screens by thought alone.

We’d had time to fill them in on the Knox Pack and their connection with ripple, along with Esme’s warning that there were witches on our territory.

Unfortunately, Waylen wasn’t finding anything with his state-of-the-art technology that he worshipped like a goddess.

Waylen clacked irritably at his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys as he scanned the screens. “There is nothing out there. Cameras are clear, all our traps are intact, motion detectors—nothing.” His fingers paused, and his brows knit together. He looked up toward me, then over at Ryan. “Esme’s sure about this?”

“Of course, I am sure,” Esme replied as she swept into the room, wrapped in a winter coat several sizes too big for her. Her hair was bouncy, though tangled, and there was that flush to her face that came from walking into a warm room from the cold outside. Jem followed silently behind her. I was surprised to see him; he normally avoided the Alpha House. It wasn’t easy for him to be back here, where he had lived with Hayley, where he was Alpha, where Hayley had stabbed him.

Jem’s face had that blank look he got when he was hiding his thoughts and feelings, but his eyes scanned the room, taking in everything. I saw the moment his wolf saw me; his fists clenched, and his eyes flared green. Ryan stiffened, ready to jump Jem if he made any move toward me, but Jem simply nodded once at me and then at Ryan. He had it under control. I sighed. We did this dance every time Jem got near me. It was getting better, and I had hopes one day soon, his wolf would, if not forgive me, at least tolerate me so I could spend more time with my brother. The person I had grown up with seemed like a distant memory, replaced by someone darker, more dangerous. Esme was helping him, but I wanted to be there for him too.

My wolf flicked her ears. She was happy Jem was here.

Esme frowned at Waylen’s computer set-up, then her eyes landed on me with a kind of urgency that knotted something tight in my gut.

“Esme, there’s nothing out there,” Waylen repeated.

“You’re wrong. You and your toys! They are no match for witches.”

“Even witches’ breath, they have heat signatures, they have to walk on the ground to get places. If they were here, I’d pick them up.”

“Nope. You would not. Sorry, but your wizarding skills are no match for a witch. Playing tricksy with your gadgets is child’s play to us.”

The expression on Waylen’s face would have made me laugh if we weren’t about to be attacked. I honestly thought his head was about to explode.

He opened his mouth to no doubt give an extremely explicit response, but I held up my hand. “We don’t have time. Esme, are you sure?”

She turned to me and nodded.

“How many?” Ryan asked.

Esme closed her eyes and breathed deeply. I knew she wasn’t scenting the witches, not like werewolves scent our prey, but more centering herself in some way.

“Two,” she said flatly, opening her eyes. For a second—a fraction of a second—a flicker of panic passed over her face. “And they are strong. We will need to be tippy-toe careful.”

“We can’t use you, Esme,” Sam said.

Everyone turned to look at him. Sam pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against and stalked to the middle of the room.

“Esme has to sit this one out,” he repeated.

“Explain,” ordered Ryan.

Sam’s face was hard—no easy-going grin, no teasing remarks. Only the soldier remained.

“Bethany Rose. She’ll come here.”

Bethany Rose was one of the Wolf Council’s enforcers. She was a unique werewolf, able to sniff out magic and its users. The Council used her to track witches in the North and often killed them when they were found. They knew Esme was part of our Pack; Sam himself had managed to get a pardon for Esme when she helped us defeat Brock’s army. But the conditions stipulated were that Esme was never to practice magic here again, on pain of death for her and any who helped her. I knew Esme had broken that rule a number of times, even suspected Jem was encouraging it, helping her to hone her skills and become a deadly fighter who could defend herself. But none of us would risk Esme being caught by the Council.

Jase frowned. “Why? The Council doesn’t involve themselves in every little spat.”

“True, but we have a lead on ripple.” Sam swept his arm to point outside. “On some of the witches involved in ripple. This is now way bigger than one child. We’ve been chasing any leads on the witches involved for months. No matter what happens here with the Knox Pack, the Wolf Council will investigate. Bethany Rose will come; she’ll be needed to track the witches.”

Esme shifted closer to Jem, her hand brushing his arm.

“She’ll know if Esme has used magic,” Sam continued. “I won’t be able to protect her this time. It’ll be a death sentence. We can’t use her.”

“Esme stays out of this fight,” Jem said, the low growl that rumbled from his chest reverberating through the room. It was a threat, directed at anyone who dared argue.

I saw Ryan’s face go blank.

Uh-oh.

“Agreed,” I said before Ryan and Jem got into another who’s-the-fucking-Alpha argument that would push Jem further out of our Pack.

Esme threw both hands up in the air, rounding on Jem. “This! This is why I need to learn how to fight! I’m useless without my magic!”

“You’re not useless.” Jem’s voice was firm. The fierceness in his usually hollow tone made everyone go still. “You’re alive. And you’ll stay alive.”

“I can Shift,” said Mason. “Go out the back. See if I can circle around and get eyes on them.”

Ryan nodded. “Do it. Take Derek and Sam with you.”

Mason cast a swift look at Shya and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’ll—?”

“I’ll protect the kids. Just be safe, okay?”

Mason nodded, then jerked his chin at Derek and Sam.

They moved as one, smooth, silent, and predatory, as they slipped out of the room. They might not have shared Pack bonds anymore, but they would always be Pack.

Esme’s breath hitched, her eyes going wide. “They’re here,” she whispered.

Knock. Knock.

Everyone turned their heads to the front door.

None of us had heard them approach. There was nothing in my Pack bonds or my link to our territory that told me outsiders were here.

Esme was right. They had slipped past our carefully laid defenses undetected. They were playing with us.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Well, wasn’t that just fucking awesome.