Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Veryn

M y mate will be going over my knee before this night is over. Rogue called and told me she had a bad feeling, which matched up perfectly because my dragon has been on edge all fucking night. Leaving work early, especially without being questioned by Ember’s brothers, wasn’t the easiest, but I managed.

Then I called in the only backup I knew I could trust in this situation—my dads.

Ember being on pack lands is a shit show waiting to happen.

It’s complicated.

I understand what it’s like to be driven by thoughts and actions that don’t necessarily feel like your own. My dragon has spent years contemplating what it would be like to rule in Faere. After all, dragon court was supposed to be my birthright.

Not that I have any regrets.

It was an easy decision, made even simpler by the fact Ember is my mate.

It was one of the few instances where my dragon and I were in complete agreement, but he’s always wondered what life would be like for us in Faere. Ember would have been our queen, but we belong here in the human realm, and fanciful thoughts are good for nothing.

The nearby forest is silent, meaning the insects and prey animals sense the nearby threat. My boots shove up gravel and dirt with each footfall as I pace a frantic circle around the pit.

The ground is stained with blood. My nostrils flare, and I shake my head. At least some of it is Ember’s, and if I’m not careful, my dragon will take over and force a shift.

He wouldn’t hesitate to burn the shifter settlement to the ground to find answers about his mate.

And I’m only slightly more coherent than he is at the moment.

The only thing keeping me moderately sane is that I have Bane at my side. He’s one of my mother’s mates and a former assassin for the dragon court in Faere.

Bane can track anyone, and he’s currently searching the ring for clues about exactly what occurred here tonight.

Eldritch, another of my mother’s pack, circles the sky in wyvern form. His purpose is to ensure we have ample warning if something does come our way. He’s a bit of an enigma, after being trapped in his beast form for so long, but he will ruthlessly guard us from above.

My mind is a goddamn mess. I’ve never been so torn about what the right call is.

Ember’s family will never forgive me if I don’t bring them in and something terrible happens to her.

At the same time, if I betray her trust again… I might never be able to get it back . Seeing how hurt her wolf was last night slammed that realization home. She feels just as rejected and abandoned as Ember did.

Fucking old people .

I told our parents that I would be a decent fucking mate and keep things respectable until she turned eighteen. Not one of them believed me, but I sure as fuck would have kept my word. All their bullshit interfering did was cost me an extra three years when I should have been at her side.

Even when they barred me from being around her, I never went more than a day without seeing her, even if she didn’t lay eyes on me. Well, except when Bane dragged me with him for out-of-town jobs.

My hands clench as my dragon struggles against my hold. His black claws manifest, and I shove him back down. He makes it known he’s in the camp of not calling in her family. If she needs support, she has it in him. He will be all the backup she needs.

A shimmery, silvery-blue cloud of smoke appears in front of me as I pace.

It’s nothing alarming.

Just the final member of my family pack.

Athos is a djinn.

They’re nearly unheard of in the human realm, and his powers are unmatched. Unfortunately, they also require the steepest penalty for being used. He has his own magic, outside of granting wishes, but it’s nothing compared to the power of a wish.

“Look what I found,” Athos says, chucking something from the mist. He appears from the waist up as the body he tossed down works to uncrumple itself from the earth. “It’s a warlock. I wouldn’t let Eldritch catch sight of him until we know if he might be useful.”

The warlock stands, swiping his messy whitish-blond hair back from his face. He looks young, somewhere around his early twenties, but when magic is involved, it’s impossible to tell. He adjusts his thick black glasses, his blue eyes narrowing as he eyes me up and down.

Bane jogs over in human form, but I ignore him to focus on the warlock.

“What’s your name?” I growl as my eyes glow, lighting up the dark clearing.

“Cohen,” he says, pulling his shoulders back. He’s got a slender build, and without his magic to protect him, I could break him in two. “You’re not supposed to be on pack land. You’re not a wolf.”

“I am not,” I agree, letting my hands shift into my claws. “But my mate is, and she seems to have stumbled into the wrong area during her nightly run.”

Bane stays a few feet back from the warlock, watching the sky like he’s ensuring Eldritch doesn’t swoop in from nowhere and murder our information source. He glances at me long enough to say, “She was injured but alive when she left the ring. There’s nowhere close to enough blood for her injuries to be fatal. The dead wolf was using wolfsbane.”

“How do you know?” I snarl.

Bane shrugs. “The stench is unmistakable, and there’s residue under every one of his front claws. It shouldn’t kill her, but it would have weakened her significantly. She probably feels like death warmed over.”

My dragon roars in my mind, desperate to burst free and wreak havoc. He’s close to the length of a bus when fully shifted, and, with how furious he is, I wouldn’t put it past him to eat the warlock.

“The female wolf is your mate?” Cohen takes a step back as my fangs elongate.

“She is,” Athos says, answering for me. “And his dragon is close to escaping to burn the entire village to the ground if you don’t tell him where to find her.”

“She fought Aimes,” the warlock sputters. “And she won. She’s the Prime Alpha of the North American Pack.”

My jaw falls as I stagger back several steps.

Oh, fuck me .

Ember, what the hell did you do ?

My eyes fly to Athos, and his head shakes.

This isn’t something I can wish away.

The consequences would be too great. The universe balances his power in terrifying ways. Say I did make the wish—it would be granted, but rather than keeping her away from pack lands tonight, it could be that she fought and lost. Thus, ensuring she was no longer alpha.

“Do you know where she is?” Bane asks, coming closer. “Or do we need to find her ourselves? I can guarantee, you won’t like our search methods.”

“I’ll take the alpha’s mate,” Cohen says, shoving up his glasses. “But the rest of you need to go. The pack was already in turmoil. If they see all of you, it will only fuel their panic. Someone will challenge her before she has the chance to heal.”

My dragon snarls in my mind, but I stifle it. “And as her mate, I would fight as her proxy.”

The warlock’s head shakes. “You’re not her family member. Only bonded mates are able to fight in place of another.”

Bane curses under his breath. “Do you want me to go for Dread?”

Dread is one of Ember’s fathers. He could fight in her place if need be, but the pack wouldn’t take kindly to that.

There’s also no guarantee the same law that stands in Haven will apply here. This is a community of wolves. I’m not sure they’d allow a hellhound to fight in her place in an alpha challenge.

There’s also the fact my dragon is probably right. Ember would never forgive me for ratting her out to her family.

My head shakes.

I’m not even sure they’ll allow me to fight in her place, considering I’m a dragon. That just means I’ll have to get creative.

I pull my shoulders back. “No, I’ll ensure no one lives long enough to contemplate challenging her.”

Bane nods, a slow smile crossing his face. “Take their heads before they can utter the words. After a few bodies pile up, the rest will get the idea.”

“I always forget the fae realm still fears your name.” Athos chuckles darkly, turning to me. “Usually, I try to temper his violent tendencies, but for once, I agree with Bane.”

Bane stomps over, grabbing my arm and dragging me a few feet away. “I don’t have to tell you how vulnerable of a position she’s in.”

“No, you don’t,” I deadpan.

“That means you have to do everything in your power to make the transition easier on her,” he says in barely more than a whisper. “Never question her in front of her wolves. You save that for when the two of you are alone, or you’ll completely undermine any authority she builds.”

I exhale heavily, giving a clipped nod. The only time I would want to is when her safety is at risk, but I also understand the point he’s trying to make.

“It doesn’t matter if she makes the wrong call,” Bane continues. “You’re her number one supporter and, by default, her executioner from here on out. If she’s unreasonable, you follow her command with a smile on your face. Lead by example, and the weaker should fall in line.” He shrugs. “If that doesn’t work, call me. We’ll kill them all and install a new form of government for the pack.”

“Thanks, Dad.” My heart races as he pulls me in for a quick hug. Once I step back, my eyes land on the warlock. “Take me to Ember.”

“Could you maybe, I don’t know, put your wings away?” Cohen asks as we stomp through the trees. His silvery magic carries the corpse of the former alpha.

My dragon would like to burn him to cinders, but that wouldn’t help us keep a low profile.

“No, not yet,” I reply as my wings flex.

Once we’re closer, possibly.

For right now, I don’t trust the warlock, and I need to be able to make a quick escape if necessary.

My phone is in my back pocket. If I don’t check in with my family in two hours, they’ll return with reinforcements.

My mind has been continually turning over the possibilities, but nothing makes sense. The best thing I can come up with is that she was found on pack land and wouldn’t back down.

The stubborn little wolf .

“Tell me what I need to know. How did Ember get involved in the challenge?”

“The pack had a decent alpha for years,” Cohen says. “He was an honorable wolf, by all accounts. Aimes came in and took him out seven or eight months ago. The new alpha tried and failed to force the previous alpha’s widow to mate with him. He imprisoned Sofia. Her brother attempted to challenge the alpha, but it was going to be a bloodbath. Your mate intervened.”

“And none of the males thought to stop her?” I growl, fighting my beast for control. He can’t fathom the idea that other shifters stood by and didn’t intercede.

“None of the wolves present were strong enough to stop her,” Cohen says, ducking under a branch. “She killed the alpha that no male in the pack had a hope of defeating…”

My anger grows the closer we get to the edge of the forest.

Tugging in my wings, I shiver at the uncomfortable feeling of having them disappear into my human form. Ever since I was little, I’ve always hated having to keep them tucked away.

I exhale heavily and grab the warlock’s arm. “Tell me how bad it is.”

“Her injuries?” He shakes out of my hold. “Or her chances of surviving whatever comes next?”

“Her injuries,” I snarl.

Nothing will hurt her from here on out, because I’ll be at her side, watching her sexy little ass every moment of the day and night.

“Not bad,” Cohen replies, shoving up his glasses as he walks at an angle. “She was conscious before the healer gave her a tea to counter the wolfsbane. She would have been better off if her wolf didn’t decide to eat Aimes’s heart to ensure he couldn’t regenerate.”

I laugh.

God, I love that pretty little lunatic.

My dragon has been anxious to escape, but hearing her actions, he turns smug. He’s sure he picked a good mate for us, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Cohen brings the alpha’s body to a building and drops the carcass on a stone slab. Once he’s done, he locks up and guides us closer to the small…village?

Town?

Commune?

Whatever the hell it is.

He bypasses several small cottages, and one of the houses farther away from the others comes into view as he beelines for it.

My head stays on a swivel, memorizing all the details I can pick up while constantly appraising for threats.

Two men stand outside the front door of the house Cohen guides us to. There are three wooden steps up to the old porch, and they creak with my weight. The place is old but not dilapidated.

Cohen nods at the men, but the guy on the right jolts, falling back into the wall when he spots me.

I freeze.

Fuck. My. Life .

He’s easily recognizable.

That night five years ago, when Ember’s brothers and I came onto pack lands to search for her piece-of-shit sperm donor, replays in my mind.

The guy on the right witnessed us kidnapping Carson. His packmate did, too, but neither enforcer stepped in to do a thing to protect their corrupt alpha. Which is why Bryant still draws breath.

“Where’s Burke?” I’m fairly sure that was the name of the enforcer he was with that night, but it could be something else starting with a B.

Cohen hisses out a breath and spins to face me. “You knew the former alpha?” He shoves up his glasses. “The one before Aimes.”

If Aimes is the alpha Ember fought and won against tonight, and Burke was the alpha before Aimes, that means Burke took over in the power vacuum left when we killed Carson.

Shit . That probably didn’t leave him in a great position, considering the pack had been led by Ember’s dad’s biological family for hundreds of years.

“You knew Burke?” Cohen repeats a little louder this time.

“We met once,” I clarify. “I had no issue with him.” My eyes meet Burke’s packmate guarding the door. “Nor with you.”

“Burke is dead,” Bryant says, his jaw tensing. “Aimes killed him.”

Shifters age extremely slowly, but they aren’t truly immortal. If you remove their head or heart, they can’t come back from it.

An alpha challenge doesn’t have to end in death if one concedes defeat, but apparently, neither did. That, or Aimes wanted to make a point of killing Burke to set the tone for his rule.

“I didn’t know any of that,” I say, bowing my head out of respect. “He seemed like an honorable wolf.”

“He was,” Bryant agrees. “And it’s what got him killed. Aimes used wolfsbane. The same as he did tonight.”

My eyes flash, showing my dragon’s displeasure. “I’d like to see my mate now.”

“Wait, put the pieces together for me.” Bryant pushes off the wall of the house and takes a step toward me. “Please. My mate is still suffering. Losing Burke was…” His head shakes. “It was hard on all of us. That night, you said you had no concern with who took Carson’s place.”

That night five years ago…I didn’t.

All I knew was that I needed to help Ember’s brothers remove her biological father from the equation, so he couldn’t petition the paranormal council for visitation.

“I wished no ill will on your packmate,” I assure him. “Whoever took over after Carson…” I shake my head. “I had nothing to do with that, and I’m sorry for the way it played out.”

“Carson’s family ruled for generations,” Bryant says.

“And now the rightful heir has claimed her title as alpha,” I say firmly. “Ember is Carson’s biological daughter.”

The warlock doesn’t blink, but both Bryant and the other man have violent reactions.

“That’s why you killed him?” Bryant sputters.

“We killed Carson to prevent him from trying to sell his daughter off as a broodmare.” My teeth grind together at the thought. “He had it coming for other transgressions, but that was the final nail in his coffin.” My face twists into a grimace as I remember… “My mate is unaware of my participation in that particular activity. Don’t mention it before I have the chance.”

I will tell her. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us that, if they came out later on, we might struggle to come back from. I’m just beginning to earn my way back into her good graces, and I’m not sure how this will impact that.

I will tell her, though. Likely sooner than I ever planned.