58. Jax

58

Jax

Relief swept through me when I didn't recognize the grizzled man at the head of the table. Not that he would recognize me, with this face, but it still helped. Lunessa clutched my arm as we were escorted to the table, and I pulled the chair out for her.

"Thank you for your kindness," I said quietly. "My mate and I have had a difficult journey. My name is Kenrys, and this is Luana."

"To be true to ourselves, we must extend our hand to those who need it," the wolf said in a gravelly voice. "I am Broderick. The man to my left is Henry, and the lovely lady to my right is Saris."

Broderick's wolf was powerful, and he didn't hesitate to unleash that power at the dinner table. I bowed my head and avoided meeting his eyes as I took the chair. My wolf, hidden behind Lunessa's magic, grumbled unhappily, but he didn't try to break free. He knew what we were doing here and what he needed to do.

Henry was a witch. I could sense the magic in him, but Saris seemed completely human. Not a drop of wolf or magic within her. She regarded Lunessa and I with a friendly smile, and strangely enough, I felt a little more at ease.

Only a little, though. What were humans doing at a compound filled with wolves and witches?

"You have questions," Broderick said knowingly. "It's all right to ask. I'd have questions too if I came from the compound. You belong to one of the original packs, do you not?"

"Original?" I didn't have to feign confusion. "I'm from, or rather, I was from the…" my voice trailed off as I looked at Lunessa. "I don't think I understand the question."

"You're protecting your mate," Broderick said with sympathy. "That's all right. I understand. You don't have to give us any information. I only mean that the original packs hold most of the power in the mountains, but there are rogues who wish for the safety and comfort of a pack even though we know we do not always belong. We call them pocket packs."

"Forgive me, but not everyone at this table is a wolf."

"No. Like the original packs, we also invite witches, but we have many here. Anyone who seeks refuge and would like to stay. We find that we've formed with a common cause."

"What's that?"

Broderick just smiled and turned to Lunessa. "We don't get many strangers here, and we find the ones who do come are lead."

Lunessa's eyes widened, and she dropped her gaze to the plate. I frowned, but Broderick just shook his head. "Forgive me. I know that the two of you are very hungry. Enjoy your food. Please. We have plenty."

Our hunger was not an act. The best way to know if you were close to a group of wolves was to try and hunt. If there were no natural prey to be found, you were likely in the presence of predators. For the last two days, we'd been forced to eat berries and vegetation.

My stomach growled, and I dug into the chicken. We were watched closely, and I glanced up warily from time-to-time, but I didn't sense any hostility.

Finally, Lunessa cleared her throat. "I cast a spell."

Playing along, I whipped my head around. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Ken. I know you said no magic, that they might be able to track it, but I couldn't just keep wandering around lost anymore, so I cast a spell to lead us to where we could be safe."

Slowly, I put down my fork. "Sweetheart, I know you were scared, but you have to trust me. We're safe now, but we can't stay here forever. What if he tracks your magic here? We have to leave at some point!"

"Forgive me," Henry cleared his throat. "But who are you running from?"

Lunessa paled. "Oh, I didn't even think. I could have led him right here. We should leave. I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry," Pushing her chair back, she stood, and Broderick stood as well.

"You are safe here," he boomed, pushing out his power. "As are we. No enemy will touch us, no matter how much you fear him. Please take comfort in that and enjoy your meal. We are not without protection."

"You don't know what he can do. What he is capable of!"

"Did he try to drain you of magic?" Henry asked boldly.

"Yes. Yes! How did you know?"

"Please. Sit. We are aware of a situation arising. Witches attacking witches. Draining them. You are lucky, both in that you were able to escape and that you made it here," the witch continued.

Immediately, Lunessa sat. "I was part of a small traveling coven. We weren't attached to a pack, but then I met Ken, here. I knew we were meant for each other. My family is very protective, and they wouldn't let us stay, so I returned to him on my own. Em…"

"Lulu," I said sharply. "That's enough."

"No! Kenrys, I know you want to protect me, but you heard them! Other witches are being attacked!"

"You were part of Emerson's pack?" Broderick's eyes narrowed. "You are aware that he is dead."

So, the news had reached here. It had been a couple of months, but this was an isolated place. Where were they getting their information and how quickly?"

"Yes. I am aware that Emerson is dead. I was…I was caught in a fog, somehow. It only started to lift when I met Luana. Emerson left the pack, and when he died, we all felt it. I knew it was my chance to run. I hadn't even realized Luana had been taken. She'd been held for days, and somehow, I hadn't even known."

I relied heavily on the spell Emerson had cast over his pack so I wouldn't have to go into too many details. It was too easy to be caught in a lie.

"Was there a woman with him?" Broderick asked intensely as he leaned forward.

My blood ran cold, but I played dumb. "I only saw Luana. I didn't even see who'd taken her."

"No, not the witch who'd taken Luana. Emerson. Was there a woman with Emerson before he left?"

I schooled my features, deliberately taking some time to consider my choices. "A mate," I muttered. "An alpha mate."

"Yes. Do you know what she looked like? What her name was?" There was an intensity in Broderick's eyes that I did not like. He gave himself away too easily.

He knew that Emerson had taken a woman, knew the woman was important, but he had no details about her.

I pretended to think harder and shook my head. "No. I think…I don't understand. I don't even know when Emerson got a mate or what happened to her. Maybe she died too?" I rubbed my head, feigning a headache. "Is she part of the witches who kidnapped Luana?"

"We are still trying to sort through everything that happened. Emerson's death was the beginning, and we must intervene before it is the end," Broderick said solemnly.

I frowned. "I'm sorry? The end of what?"

The alpha shook his head. "It is not important, tonight. Luana, can you describe what happened to you while you were kidnapped?"

"Right now?" Her hands started to tremble, and she looked at me.

Immediately, I covered her hand with mine and narrowed my eyes at Broderick. "We came for a meal and shelter. There's clearly more going on here than a simple pocket pack, as you call it, but I don't care. We'll leave after dinner and forget all about this place. We're not looking to court more trouble. My mate has been through enough, and I will not let anything else happen to her."

It was Saris who put her hand out. "Please. I have told Broderick many times that his enthusiasm is enough to send anyone screaming into the forest. Eat your dinner. Stay the night. You will no longer be pestered with questions."

"She is right," Broderick sighed. "I would never forgive myself if I scared you straight into the arms of danger."

I let my gaze linger on Saris for a bit longer. She was pretty, almost in an ethereal way, and maybe that's why I sensed something odd about her. I'd certainly never met a human like her.

Was she Broderick's mate? I didn't sense a mating bond, but she had some sort of control over him.

Glancing back at Lunessa, I sighed and took my seat once again. "One night for your hospitality, we will try to answer a few of your questions in the morning. I will answer them," I amended. "And then we will be on our way."

They seemed pleased with that, and we finished our dinner with light conversation. There were no more questions about Emerson. At the end, Henry offered to perform a healing ritual on Lunessa, which I would not allow. I wasn't entirely certain their scans wouldn't detect something that would catch us in a lie.

We were returned back to our room, and Lunessa closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "You were rude."

"I am careful. I promised to not let anything else happen to you, and I meant it."

That was not a lie. The Crone promised torture to the end of my days if I did not return Lunessa safely.

"I told you that I thought something more was happening there. What if they know what it is? What if we can keep what happened to me from happening to others? What if…" she lowered her voice. "What if the three-headed beast is real?"

I sighed. "Lulu, don't you think if there were a three-headed beast running around the forest, that we would see it? Hear of it? Your mind was addled by all the magic and pain and fear. I'm certain you heard wrong."

"Please," she whispered. "Please. I feel like we're meant to be here. Like we're meant to help. I don't know how to explain it. I just wish you would trust me."

"I do trust you." I sighed. "I want you to sleep. If you still feel this way in the morning, then I will let you answer their questions."

She beamed. "Thank you. Oh, I forgot to ask if I could bring a glass of water to bed. I'm still so thirsty."

"Go to bed. I'll get the water. Make sure to lock the door behind me."

I waited until she was in the bed before I opened the door. Once again, I was not surprised to find that the same wolf was standing guard. He looked me directly in the eye. "Is there something that you needed?"

"A glass of water," I said slowly. "Is there a reason you're guarding us?"

"Not guarding." He smiled. "Broderick is steadfast in his promise to protect everyone in the compound. You and your mate are strangers. You will be escorted around the compound. I hope you do not take offense."

Good answer. I shrugged. "I guess not. My mate would like a glass of water. Is there some place you can escort me to get that?"

"No need. We will have it brought to you. Is there anything else?"

I shook my head, thanked him, and stepped back inside.

It was only then that I heard a deadbolt slide into place, locking us in.