39. Sam

Chapter thirty-nine

Sam

Despite there being five of us in a two-bedroomed flat, Drew skilfully avoids us for the entirety of the next day, choosing to spend his time outside, where Adam can't get to him. I spend most of the day badgering Kieran, the back of my mind always on the bond, trying to see how Drew is feeling, what he's doing.

"I know you're annoyed at me," Kieran murmurs when we're standing in the kitchen, waiting for the others to join us. Drew's changing in the bathroom, and I fiddle with the embroidered collar of my shirt.

"That's not—It's not just about that."

Kieran raises an eyebrow.

"One of my mates is avoiding me," I growl, and he turns his head to hide his smile.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Fuck off. Like you didn't already know."

Kieran shrugs. He rubs the back of his neck, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. "Actually… Lucien figured it out first. Way before Adam told him."

"Adam?"

"Yeah. He realised first out of the three of you, didn't he?"

"Drew didn't—"

Kieran snorts. Lucien steps out of his bedroom and Kieran's eyes snap to him, holding his gaze for a charged moment before he looks at me again. "I don't know what to tell you. Sometimes wolves don't follow their instincts."

I shake my head, leaning against the counter as they kiss, and Lucien holds Kieran close.

If Drew wants to leave us, wants to break the bond, I'll do whatever he needs to help him accomplish that.

But me? I'm all in, whether he likes it or not.

Ophelia and Dante meet us at the flat and Lucien orders two cars to take us over to the pack house. Drew goes with Kieran and Lucien, and as much as I hate having him out of my sight, Adam's hand in mine helps to reassure me. Ophelia sits up front, though she twists around to chatter to us the entire way.

Aside from Kieran, she seems the most at ease. Is it because she knows what's coming?

"Do you think he'll win?" I ask her.

"Of course." She doesn't even hesitate, and Dante huffs a laugh.

"What, you too?"

"I trust Ophelia when it comes to wolves," he says. "But yeah, I do."

I hum and Adam puts his arm around me. His neck is, for all intents and purposes, healed, but the patch of skin still looks slightly different, shinier. A scar. One that'll fade, I suppose, and I press my lips to it.

"You okay?"

Adam lets out a heavy breath. "I will be when this is over." His smile is faint but real, and when I kiss him, he opens under me, keeping things gentle.

Alpha Deacon's pack house is a town house on the other side of the city, and when we pull up, Kieran and the others are already at the door. Chaya opens it, and she nods as she takes us all in.

"Welcome," she says, gesturing for us to enter. Ophelia and Dante drop behind me and Adam, who hasn't let go of my hand. I feel for the bond, pushing as much reassurance down it as I can, and Drew's shoulders relax a little up ahead.

"We have a room prepared for you to wait in," Chaya says as she leads us down the corridor. Her heels click on the black-and-white tiled floor. "The pack is gathering in the main hall."

A second of trepidation flicks over Kieran's face. "The pack?"

"Believe it or not, challenges are not a common occurrence. Especially between wolves and humans." Chaya looks at Kieran and shrugs. "But it is what it is. People are desperate to know the outcome."

"Great," Kieran mutters. Annoyance flares in me because I know he's more concerned there'll be people watching than he ever was about issuing the challenge in the first place.

"This way," Chaya continues, leading us all to a set of double doors. Another wolf is standing next to them, his arms crossed over his chest. "I'll ask you to wait inside. Noah will be here if you need anything."

Noah eyes us like he'd rather we weren't here, but I feel a sudden jolt of—surprise? Excitement?—come down the bond from Drew.

"Ah, yes," Chaya says, and her smile is knowing. "We had some visitors who were very interested in hearing about the challenge. They're waiting for you inside. I'll come collect you when it's time."

With that, she's off, and Kieran gives Lucien a bemused look. "Visitors?" he mutters and pulls open one of the doors.

He takes a few steps into the room and stops dead. Drew makes a quiet sound I can't interpret, even with the bond, and Lucien touches Kieran's shoulder.

"My love?"

Kieran shakes his head. "I don't believe it."

I look past him and no, I don't believe it either.

I recognise the hunter. The same fae-blessed hunter who brought Kieran down to London all those years ago. His eyes land on me for a second, recognition flaring in them before he looks at Kieran and Drew.

Drew, who lets out a startled laugh before he surges forwards into a hug that looks easy and fond.

Kieran hangs back, still clutching Lucien's hand. He's gone white as a sheet, but he's looking past Drew and the hunter to the other man in the room.

No, not a man.

A vampire.

Adam quivers next to me, and I know he can feel the vampire's power as easily as I can. I squeeze his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Drew asks. He sounds happier than he has in days.

The hunter—Paxton, I remember—pats Drew's shoulder gently.

"There's no need for us up there now," the vampire says, pushing off from the wall he's been leaning against. He's all elegant grace as he prowls forwards. "Things have changed."

"You helped get Drew out," Kieran says. His voice is barely above a whisper.

Paxton still has his hand on Drew's shoulder. I want to knock it off, put myself between them, but if he really did help—

"Of course we did," Paxton says. "Figured it couldn't be so difficult a second time around."

The vampire moves closer. He brushes against Drew as he passes, and Lucien's shoulders tense when he comes to a stop before Kieran. Concern reverberates from Adam, but I'm picking up nothing but relief from Drew.

It should be enough to calm my nerves. It isn't.

The vampire looks between Kieran and Lucien, his expression unreadable. Lucien holds himself perfectly still.

Kieran breaks first. "Are you being serious right now?"

The vampire laughs, and he winks at the flush on Kieran's cheeks. "Told you you'd find someone prettier than me."

Drew makes a questioning noise and Lucien's head whips around to look at his mate. Kieran's blushing , one hand coming up to scrub over his face.

"God, I forgot you're a massive dick."

"No, you didn't," the vampire says and claps Kieran on the shoulder. When he looks at Lucien again, his expression is open. "A pleasure to meet you, chieftain. I'm Jeremiah. This brute behind me is Paxton."

"Brute," Paxton mutters with a fond roll of his eyes.

"It is nice to meet you," Lucien says, even as Jeremiah's gaze moves over the rest of us still hovering near the door. "But if I may…"

"What are we doing here?" Jeremiah drops into place beside Paxton. "We had news for Hunter Moreau."

"So why are you here ?" Drew asks.

"We heard about the challenge as soon as we arrived," Paxton says and gives Kieran a stern look. "I thought you came here to lie low."

Kieran frowns, but Drew's shoulders slump, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Hale found me."

Jeremiah's growl is a low rumble that echoes around the room and makes Adam jump. He turns to Paxton, fury in his eyes. "I told you you should've let me kill him! We had the perfect opportunity, but no, instead, I had to listen to you."

Paxton sighs in response.

"Your news," Kieran says. "Is it related to Hale?"

I frown. Earlier today, we filled Kieran in on everything Elliot told us last night. What else does he know that he's not telling us?

"Not particularly," Jeremiah says. He scowls. "That's not why you—"

"I challenged him because he basically tried to kidnap Drew and take him back up to Dad. He threatened us. All of us."

Jeremiah's pale eyes slide over us all again. They linger on me and Adam, on the way I'm holding his hand, but I don't even think about letting go.

Kieran doesn't look satisfied, but we don't have time for him to push it.

"All right," Paxton says. "Are you ready to go up against an alpha?"

Kieran looks up at Lucien, who kisses him on the temple. "You can do this."

I think about Ophelia's certainty in the car earlier.

Why can't I be as sure? If everyone else isn't worried, why am I?

"Yeah," Kieran says. "I'm ready."

Jeremiah nods. "We'll take care of your little… group, while you fight."

"C'mon. Let's run through it," Paxton says, and Kieran kisses Lucien's cheek before he moves further away with the big hunter.

"Gonna check on Lucien," Adam murmurs and squeezes my hand before he slips over to his sire. Jeremiah is speaking to him in low tones, and when I turn, Ophelia and Dante are speaking to each other, too.

Drew's standing in the centre of the room, watching Kieran and Paxton. Kieran says something, and Paxton shakes his head, taking Kieran by the shoulders and turning him this way and that.

I sidle over to Drew and graze my fingertips over the inside of his wrist. He doesn't pull away, but he doesn't look at me, either.

"He'll be okay," I say.

"You can't be sure of that." Drew's eyes narrow as he looks me over. "You're not sure of that."

I sigh. I am certain he'll survive it. And I really don't understand why I can't believe in him the way the others do. I saw him beat a vampire half to death with his bare hands, once. I saw him fight Tristan.

"Drew," I murmur, but Kieran interrupts.

"Drew! Come here a minute."

Drew smiles softly at me before he moves over to Kieran and Paxton. Paxton's face is grave as he speaks to Drew, and I don't understand—it's not as though Drew will be fighting.

I move to lean against the wall, rubbing where the bond sits in my chest. He fought well last night, though. He took Adelaide down, kept her down, and with that, saved me and Adam.

Does he know that?

I only look up when Jeremiah leans against the wall next to me. Magic nudges at my hands, but that's just a result of being in the presence of such a powerful vampire.

No, not just that.

There's some tingle to his magic, too. Something wild.

Something fae.

"How long have you had that bond, then?" he asks.

I shrug. "About a day?" I don't take my eyes off Drew—except when I'm looking at Adam.

"Seems strong for all that."

"Of course it is."

He hums and doesn't speak for a moment. Is he going to threaten me? Tell me I'm not good enough for Drew?

I mean, maybe he's right, but it doesn't mean I have to stand here and listen to him.

"And you intend to keep it?"

"Yes." No hesitation. Adam and Drew are mine .

"What has you looking so gloomy, then? Worried about the challenge?"

I look at him in disbelief. "Of course I am! Why isn't anyone else?"

Jeremiah grins, and for a second, I see why Kieran likely had such a crush on him when he was younger. He's beautiful, ethereally so, like a marble statue come to life.

"I'm sure they are."

"No, they—" I shake my head. "They're all acting like it's a foregone conclusion, like he'll just win , but what if he doesn't? Why am I the only one worried about that?"

"I fancy your other mate is, too," Jeremiah says, indicating Adam. "But of course you're worried. You'll be the one stepping up if something happens to him."

"Me? I—Lucien's his mate, not me."

"I know that. And Lucien would care for Drew, as well as his own turn, and the rest of you, but you…" Jeremiah flashes a hint of fang. "You'd avenge him and his memory and follow in his footsteps. Wouldn't you?"

I'm missing something. A headache builds behind my eyes. "I don't—"

"I'm sure you'll work it out," Jeremiah says and nudges me with his shoulder, which is such a wolf thing to do that I'm sure he learnt it from Kieran or Drew. "In the meantime, support your mates, mage. There'll be time for your magic yet."

I open my mouth, but as I'm about to reply, the door opens and Chaya walks into the room. She nods to Jeremiah and Paxton first, then Kieran, then Lucien. There's something to that, but I don't know quite enough about wolves to parse the intricacies of it.

"We will tolerate no interference."

"There won't be any," Kieran says. He steps out of the small circle that Paxton, Drew, Lucien, and Adam have formed around him.

"Good," Chaya replies. "This way, then. We're ready for you."