29. Rhyson

29

Rhyson

"Rhyson, I am in no danger," Maya insisted. "There is no need to fight."

Anna cleared her throat. "Jax, back down. Now."

The alpha and I stared at each other. Instinctively, my wolf knew that he was protecting his mate and his territory, but my sanity was hanging by a thread. When I learned that Maya had gone off by herself, I'd lost my mind. We only had a stranger's word that we were safe here.

I don't know who moved first, but suddenly, we were both in the air, each aiming for the other's throat.

" Roosavier ," the blonde shouted.

With a grunt, we both fell to the floor. Grunting, I tried to rise, but there was something invisible pulling me down. I could barely budge an inch. When Jax growled unhappily, I knew he was in the same boat.

"Irene," Anna snapped, and raced to Jax's side. To my shock, Jax sat up and shook his whole body before glaring at me.

"What? I didn't hurt them, although the spell isn't all that strong. It won't hold them for more than twenty or thirty minutes. Not nearly long enough to talk some sense into them. How many times do I have to make it clear that I do not like it when wolves fight in my kitchen! It takes forever to order new dishes!"

"Release Rhyson."

Maya's voice was calm. Too calm. In all the chaos, I hadn't really focused on her, but I turned my head and saw that she was on all fours. Her change had begun.

"Or you'll eat us all?" Irene sighed. "The spell isn't hurting him."

"You don't understand. I'm not doing this on purpose." She made a small whimpering noise. "I'm losing control. Release him. Or cast the same spell on me."

"Fine." Irene reached her arms up and closed her eyes. Whatever spell she wanted to cast never left her mouth. One minute, Maya was still mid-shift, and the next, she was a wolf and jumping on Irene. I roared, and Jax threw himself at Maya.

"Shit," Anna growled. "Jax, get away from her." She raced to my side and touched me. The spell somehow dissolved around me, and I turned. To my relief, Jax had backed off, but he was bleeding heavily from his shoulder. Maya was also bleeding, but she still had one paw on Irene, pinning her down.

Lowering my head, I reached for her wolf and rumbled. Maya growled back at me, and I snarled at her and pushed an immense amount of power her way. Eyes narrowed, she huffed and removed her paw from Irene.

"I'm all right," Irene said instantly as she sat up. "She didn't hurt me. Can you hold her a little longer? Janelle!"

"Already on it!" Janelle walked a little closer, her hands in the air. "I'm not here to hurt you. You want answers, right, Maya? I can give them to you. I just need to touch you. Can I do that?"

Still holding Maya's attention, I shifted. "Give me a moment," I told her. "Let me make sure I have her."

"Have her?" Jax asked behind me, also finishing a shift. He hadn't had a chance to heal, and his shoulder was still bleeding. I only gave him a brief look.

Irene opened a cabinet and pulled out some clothes. I kept my eyes on Maya while I dressed in the sweatpants. "Do you understand what's happening? No one is in any danger here. The alpha is keeping his distance, isn't he?"

"Fine," he said abruptly.

"I was upset that you went off alone, but I'm not upset now. Maya brought you here for answers." Approaching her slowly, I touched her head. "These witches can give you answers, but not if you rip out their throats, do you understand?"

With an annoyed rumble, Maya lay down and flopped on her side. She wasn't quite showing her belly, but she wasn't in a position to attack. I looked at Janelle. "No tricks, witch."

"Your show of trust is overwhelming," Janelle said as she moved next to me so Maya could see her. Slowly, she placed her hand on Maya's wolf's head and closed her eyes. "I can tell she's a werewolf. There is so much wolf magic surrounding her, but I can't find Maya at all. Not even a speck of humanity."

"She's there. A wolf can't just do away with its human. She'll relinquish control when she's ready." I hoped, anyway.

"How did you get this far with a feral wolf?"

"She's not feral," I snapped. "And this is only the second time she's lost control. At least, as far as I can tell."

The wolf rolled her eyes up and glared at me, but she didn't move. "Her bonds aren't there," Janelle whispered. "Like, they're not just broken or ripped apart. They literally aren't there."

"What are you talking about?" I asked in irritation. "That's not possible."

"I'm telling you that she isn't bonded with an alpha. There isn't a bond with the human. There's not even a bond with a land. That's why her magic is so bright. It doesn't have anywhere to go." Suddenly, Janelle's eyes glowed, and she grabbed my arm.

They were taken.

"Oh my God," Janelle muttered. "Did you hear that? I think she's using me as a conduit."

"I heard," I said grimly. "Who took your bonds, wolf? How?"

We were a pup, and a man took us. We were scared. Our sire was there, but he did not help us. He spoke to the man. My human and I tried to hold on to each other, but we were ripped apart.

"A witch," Janelle said grimly. "Only magic could have done this. Her father paid someone to do this? Why?"

I heard his words. I remember them. I was to never have a mate. I was to be his to give away.

Abruptly, I jerked my hand away from Janelle and stared down at her.

She could never have a mate? She couldn't ever bond with an alpha?

Sick to my stomach, I turned and walked out. I didn't have any direction in mind. I just needed to get some air.

"Hey!" Jax yelled from behind me. "You can't just leave a feral wolf unattended in there!"

"She won't hurt them." Stopping under a large tree, I closed my eyes. "She'll give control back to Maya now that she knows there is no danger. She just wanted Maya to understand."

She wanted me to understand.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jax demanded. "You can't control someone like that without a bond."

"Go back to your mate," I said in a toneless voice. "Or get me the information I need to move on."

"Or what?"

I turned to face him. "Or I will take this pack from you and get the information myself. I'm done playing. I want to know who fucking killed my brother, and then I want to get off this godforsaken mountain, and if I have to go through you to do it, then so be it."