Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Anders

N either of my animals is happy. Not that I’m in much better shape. What a fucking hell of a time for my beasts to inform me that Ember is our mate.

My hearing is excellent, meaning I have no choice but to sit and listen in on their bonding.

And it’s not that I’m opposed to sharing.

Truly, I’m not.

Sofia and I have three fathers. Our mother and Sofia’s father are wolves. My father is a lion. It’s how I ended up a hybrid, although it’s rare as hell, considering one animal form usually wins out over the other.

My head tilts as footsteps come up the porch stairs.

I sent Bryant and Toby to find my sister. She should have her mates with her. The rush of emotions that will come from finally knowing her mate’s killer is dead will hit her all at once, and she’ll need their support.

Sofia and I didn’t grow up here. She met her mates fifteen years ago and made the move to live with them. I visited shortly after to make sure she had chosen honorable men, and again when my nephew was born, but I didn’t pop back in until I heard the news about Burke.

I frown as the door unlocks, but that’s a solid indication Cohen or Lorcan is about to walk in. We’ve been friends for over a hundred years, and I still find it unnerving.

Lorcan’s head tilts under his hood, and his face breaks into a dangerous smile. “You’re alive. Can’t say I saw that coming.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You see the future, dickhead.”

“Nah, nothing so close to me.” He tosses his hood back and swaggers over with a jaunty skip in his step. “It’s a big black hole of nothingness when I actually give a shite whether someone lives or dies.” Tossing himself down on the other end of the sofa, he glances at the medical supplies still strewn across the table. “Are you officially the new alpha? And what the hell do you intend to do when we’re ready to leave?”

My head tilts. “That’s not gonna be a problem. Aimes played dirty, like we knew he would, but I had my ass saved by a pretty little she-wolf who came out of nowhere.”

“What did you say?” Lorcan chuckles, leaning forward with wide eyes. “Why do I always miss the good shite?”

I roll my eyes. “If you weren’t on a mission to play games with the paranormal council’s lackeys, you could have seen it firsthand. It was majestic.”

“Good, that prick got exactly what he deserved…” Lorcan’s face goes from amused to some emotion I can’t quite place. “I’m sorry, did you say she-wolf?”

The sound of someone sneaking down the stairs has both of our gazes flying toward the doorway.

“I told you that I heard his voice,” Ember says, dragging her mate behind her as she enters the room. She points directly at Lorcan. “You have some explaining to do.”

My eyes widen at the bright red claiming bite on her neck.

Good God.

He wanted there to be no doubt about whether she was taken.

“Well, this certainly is an unexpected turn of events,” Lorcan says with an oddly melodic tone to his voice. He shoves himself off the couch, walking over and holding out a hand. “You must be the mate. Allow me to introduce myself. Lorcan—druid—another of the little wolf’s mates.”

Several things happen simultaneously.

The dragon’s head falls back as he curses at the ceiling.

My jaw simply falls.

Ember jabs a finger at Lorcan’s chest, and he releases the spell that locks away his scent and the ability to remember him. It’s quite fucking unsettling how powerful he is, or it would be if he wasn’t one of my closest friends.

“You set me up to kill the alpha,” Ember growls, her eyes lighting amber with her wolf. “Did you say mates ?”

“Let’s not be hasty.” Lorcan raises his palms, possibly because he realizes the dragon isn’t going to shake his hand. “As far as the alpha goes, I did no such thing.”

“You specifically riled my wolf and called me stubborn. Then all she could think about was running around pack lands, hunting, and frolicking.” She plants her hands on her hips. “Spoiler alert—there was no frolicking.”

The dragon glances between his mate and Lorcan with wide eyes.

Yeah, me too, man.

Me motherfucking too.

His gaze finally moves to me, and I shrug.

“I didn’t know they knew each other until right this second,” I say, because I don’t want there to be doubt in anyone’s mind about that.

Especially the stunning female alpha’s. She truly is gorgeous with her eyes narrowed at Lorcan.

“How could I possibly have known you’d poke around pack lands tonight?” Lorcan’s accent gets thicker when he’s flabbergasted… apparently . I’ve never seen him particularly riled up about anything, so that really is an assumption based on this one occurrence. “I’d thought you’d pop in closer to the full moon. I simply wanted an opportunity to see your wolf in her full glory. I thought coming across me would be a grand surprise.”

“You’re a terrible stalker,” Ember huffs. “This is all your fault.” She jabs a finger at his cloaked chest.

“My influence in what happened tonight was unintentional.” Lorcan stares down at Ember with a look I can’t quite decipher. “And if you have any doubts about us being fated, I suggest you allow your wolf to get a good whiff of my scent.”

She sways a bit as her nostrils flare, and her eyes light bright amber.

The dragon grabs her hips to straighten her, but she ends up sniffing Lorcan quite thoroughly.

“W-Why do you smell like that?” she asks. “What did you do to yourself to confuse my wolf?”

“This is going to get tedious if you don’t listen the first time I speak.” Lorcan chuckles. “I told you that you had multiple mates, now, didn’t I?”

“Watch your fucking tone,” the dragon growls, tossing an arm over her shoulder. He allows it to fall down her front until his arm rests between her tits, and he captures her dangling hand.

Ember glances over her shoulder at the dragon, fluttering her long blonde lashes.

“I’m seeing a running theme.” Lorcan sighs. “To answer your earlier question, I’d imagine you’re just getting the first true hints of my scent without the cloaking spell. I partially released it in the bar, but we’re safe enough here, so I dispatched it completely.” He tilts his head up to address the dragon. “And I would never truly disrespect my mate, but I’ll allow that to slide this one time in the interest of maintaining peace. We have much to discuss. Can I offer anyone a beverage?”

“My wolf is fond of your scent…” Ember’s huge blue eyes blink repeatedly. “Did you influence me with the rune you put on my wrist?”

Lorcan frowns. “I did not. I simply gave you access to contact me anytime without needing a telephone to make it happen.”

Ember tilts her head, pushing her lips together. It seems likely that she’s gauging whether she believes him.

My beasts are fond of the amber color that signals her wolf, but her eyes in human form are equally mesmerizing.

Perhaps it’s time we tell her she’s also our mate, my lion rumbles in my mind.

Oh, fuck me.

I was ready to possibly die tonight when I challenged Aimes, but this is a whole lot more than I bargained for.

I finally learn the dragon’s name. There’s way too much going on for it to be two or three in the morning.

Veryn and Lorcan argue in low tones about something, but I turn to Ember, who leans her head back against the couch. She somehow ended up on the cushion next to mine, and the urge to run my fingers over her soft cheek is almost uncontrollable.

“Did I even get the chance to thank you for interceding?” I ask softly.

Ember’s tired eyes pop open, and she nods. “Yeah, you did.”

“I heard you tell the dragon you have no desire to lead the pack…” I grimace, shaking my head. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”

“Super hearing is a pain in the ass when you can’t shut it off,” she mumbles, rubbing her stomach. “I thought I was doing better, but I feel awful all over again.”

Lorcan and Veryn seem to be discussing a plan of action for what happens next. If nothing else, I believe the dragon can appreciate the gift it will be to have Lorcan’s magic and powers of strategy backing up the new alpha. They’re otherwise engaged, and it’s not like I need their permission to act.

“How about I take you back upstairs?” I offer. “You’re still battling the effects of the wolfsbane poisoning and, on top of that, healing from the wounds you sustained during the fight.”

Veryn’s head twists until his eyes meet mine. He studies me for several long seconds before giving a clipped nod.

“You need rest. I’ll keep watch.” He kisses Ember’s temple and releases her hand. “I’ve got to make some phone calls, anyway. And I have a feeling we’re going to need to hit the ground running tomorrow morning to do damage control.”

Ember’s head rolls around the back of the couch, and she groans. “Okay, being closer to the bathroom might not be a bad idea. I have no clue why my stomach is so upset. Is that a side effect of the healing tonic?”

Veryn snorts. “I’m guessing that’s a side effect of eating the fucker’s heart. That might have been overkill, but it sets a nice tone.”

“Shit, I forgot about that,” I whisper, moving to stand. It was impressive, but I’m sure it’s to blame for why she feels so unwell. “I did try to warn your wolf that he liked to coat his fur in wolfsbane, but she wasn’t in the mood to hear anything I had to say.” I hold out my hands, but Ember doesn’t open her eyes.

Ignoring the side-eyeing I receive from the two men, I move to kneel on the cushion, so I can get a solid hold to lift her. I scoop her up like a bride as she grunts.

“I’m getting some wicked déjà vu, Anders.” Ember pats my chest. “Let’s not do this again sometime soon.”

“She’s precious.” Lorcan sighs dreamily. “I’ll find my way to your guest room at some point, but I intend to freshen the wards on the house before I attempt to sleep.”

Giving a clipped nod, I take off with the grumbling wolf before anyone can stop me.

Tomorrow will indeed be a day of change and reckoning. The alpha needs to heal and rest much longer than the hour nap she had earlier. Not that morning won’t be here all too soon.

I take the stairs slowly and steadily to keep from jostling Ember. My chest puffs up as she cuddles closer to my skin.

I found a pair of basketball shorts in the dryer, but she and Veryn were in my room, so it wasn’t like I could fully change.

Although, I did take a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom. Ember, however, is still covered in dried blood. It doesn’t matter. I’ll need to change my sheets tomorrow, anyway.

“How do you know the druid?” she asks softly as I kick my bedroom door closed behind us.

“He saved my life when we hit a storm off the coast of South Africa…” I frown, trying to do the math. “A long time ago. Lorcan and Cohen fished me out of the water using their magic. Cohen is a warlock. He’s also the one I sent to retrieve Aimes’s remains.”

“I’m confused. Why did the alpha lock up your sister?” Her hair tickles my abs as her head shakes. “If we already talked about this, I’m sorry. Everything is so hazy.”

“My brother-in-law Burke took over the pack five years ago.” Luckily, my blanket is already bunched at the end of the bed, so I place her on the sheet before pulling the comforter up and tucking it around her. She scoots over, and I take that as an invitation to lie on the edge.

“Five years ago…” She squints. “Was he the first alpha after Carson?”

I shrug.

“If that was his name. I’ve never been part of the pack. I visited when Kent was born, but I didn’t pay much attention. Not until I got the call from Sofia…” I go on to explain how Aimes played dirty in the alpha challenge, killed Burke, and took the pack. “He wanted to claim her. Having a full-blooded mate would have helped solidify his claim.”

“I really have no idea why I thought wolves are monogamous,” she mutters, rolling on her side to face me. “I’m so fucking sorry your sister lost her mate, and Kent…” Her eyes clench closed. “I can’t even imagine losing one of my dads. They’re larger than life to me, ya know?”

“You need rest,” I murmur, running my fingers through her hair. “Morning will arrive before you know it.”

“In case I forget, remind me that I want to see the females of the pack tomorrow. I need to make sure they understand things are going to change around here.”

My head tilts.

I believe she said she had no interest in leading the pack. “I’ll remind you. Now sleep.”

“Thanks, Anders. Your bed smells exactly like you. It’s really nice.”

My eyes glow with the combination of amber and yellowy-gold that indicates my animals are fighting for control. They’re both quite content with the idea that she enjoys our scent, but I tune them out as they argue over…something.

Ember snuggles nearer, like she did earlier, and it’s even more proof that she’s also my mate. Her bond with the dragon is so fresh, there’s no other way her wolf would allow her to be so close to me.

I’ve been lonely for so long, it’s a hell of a feeling just having her this close. I’m not as pushy as Lorcan, but I have no intentions of letting her escape.