42. Rhyson

42

Rhyson

It took us three days to get to the witch's den. When I asked why she couldn't just zap us there with her magic again, everyone glared at me, and it wasn't until we reached the den that I knew why.

Lunessa hadn't been expecting us.

"No. Absolutely not. Did you drive here? What the hell, Anna? You can drive right back out," she snarled, and tried to slam the door shut, but Jenson stuck his foot in it last minute and opened it up. The witch drew back her arm, as if to fling magic at him, and Irene cleared her throat.

"Hello, cousin," Anna said cheerfully when Lunessa dropped her arm, and she bustled us all inside. The den looked no better than the last time we'd seen it, and I couldn't figure out where we would be staying. "We've got a lead on one of Maeve's followers, and we thought we'd snuff her out. Plus, we're having trouble fixing Maya's little problem, and we thought you could help. And I miss you."

"Fuck off," the witch growled.

"Have you seen London yet?"

"I will kill you."

"So that's a no then," Anna continued on cheerfully. "One step at a time."

Silent and tense, I waited to see if Lunessa would kick us out. Did Anna have a backup plan? Ignoring the witch completely, the alpha-mate walked to the back wall, placed her hand on the door, and closed her eyes. A minute later, she grinned and opened it. "Perfect."

Rolling her eyes, Lunessa sighed and stalked through the opening. It felt like an invitation, so we all followed, and I studied Anna more closely. What had she done to the door? There seemed to be more than met the eye with her.

The back of the coven den was in much better shape, and I felt the relief of my wolves through their bonds. It was dark and dusty, but there were no holes in the walls or damage to the ceiling. Books and papers were all over the place, and certain pieces of furniture were covered up by cloths.

Anna stopped abruptly in front of one of the chairs and turned to Lunessa. "You can get rid of it, you know. You're the power source here. Not her."

"I've tried. The damn thing belongs here. I can feel it," she grumbled. "I should just accept it, but I'm still pissed. This was the second-best solution."

"All right. There are enough rooms here for everyone to have their own. I know many of you won't be staying here long," Anna announced. "If a door is sealed shut, you're not welcome in, and if you try to break through, there will likely be ugly consequences. Lunessa will make us dinner…"

"Excuse me?" the witch muttered. "I did not invite you here!"

"…so go ahead and shower and rest. We can plan and prep after dinner."

Jenson, Irene, and Janelle immediately started to move, but my wolves looked to me. I gave them a nod. I was worried about the power dynamic with having the alpha-mate here, but for the time being, she seemed to know what she was doing. I would follow.

Maya followed me as I found a room, and I held my breath, but she followed me in and tossed her pack on the floor. "This place is insane," she whispered. "Can you feel the magic? Part of me wants to run away screaming and the other part wants to just bathe in it."

I knew what she meant. We'd just learned about a werewolf who'd found a spell that could harness all the power of the mountain, and we were literally sitting on a pile of it. I would definitely need to keep an eye on this place once we were gone. How this magic hadn't spilled out onto the rest of the mountain, I had no idea.

"I'm worried about leaving you here alone while I kill Gideon. Are you sure you feel safe with Anna and the witches?"

"As safe as I was at Jax's pack," she said with a shrug. "I could go with you. Gideon seemed to like me. I could play bait."

"No," I said coldly. "I don't want you anywhere near that psychopath. He played me for a fool, and that makes him incredibly dangerous. Besides, I do not want to rob you of the opportunity to try to find a solution to your stolen bonds."

"I knew there was something off about him. I wish Paisley had said something sooner. We could have killed him right then and there. I just thought I was having trust issues."

I captured her easily into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Don't lose those instincts, Maya."

We showered and joined the others downstairs. I noticed the way Maya tried not to show too much interest in the books that were spread in front of Irene and Janelle. My wolves and Jenson were prowling around the room, no doubt restless from the sparks of magic in the walls, and she walked aimlessly by the shelves and dusted her fingers over them.

In the room next door, Anna and Lunessa were arguing, but it was hard to make out their words.

"So Anna is kin to a witch," I said as I crossed my arms and stared at the witches. "And she seems to be able to work magic?"

"Not quite, and not our story to tell," Irene said without looking up. "And if you go back to your home, wolf king, and tell them of ancient magic in the mountain that's up for grabs, you'll gain nothing but a slew of dead wolves at your door."

"And here I thought we were friends," I said evenly, but my own wolves stiffened.

"‘Friends' is a strong word. We're friendly. We just want you to know what will happen if you decide you want this for yourself. Many wolves have tried to take this coven."

"It looks like someone succeeded."

"Then you haven't opened your eyes wide enough," Irene said just as Anna popped her head in. "Dinner is ready. I hope soup is okay. Lunessa's kitchen is lacking."

"Maybe because she wasn't expecting all these wolves to show up at her door," the witch shouted back.

We filed in, accepted our bowls of soup, and sat on the floor. There was a dining room table, but it was stacked high with books. I didn't know what Lunessa was looking for, but it was clear she was thorough.

"Did you find Sera?" I asked.

"No. I felt the remnants of her magic, but the whole camp was gone."

Nash coughed and spit up some soup. "The whole camp? Like…the people and the buildings?"

"Exactly. All that is there is a clearing now." She wrinkled her nose in frustration. "Their magic is so different from witchcraft. I've been spending my days there, trying to soak it in and get a feel for it so I can try tracking it."

"What will you do when you do find them?"

"That's none of your business, wolf," Lunessa said darkly before she turned to Maya. "So your father is an asshole who ripped away your mating bond so he could sell you to the highest bidder. I hope he's dead."

"He will be soon," I muttered, and Lunessa's expression softened.

"Maybe there's hope for you. Janelle is the only one I know who can work with wolf magic, so if she can find answers in the coven, you're in good hands. I'll pop in every day to check on you, but I'm on my own hunt, so stay out of my way."

There was so much anger inside of her. There was sorrow on Anna and Irene's faces when they looked at her. "You could take a break and help us," Irene said softly.

An alarm sounded, and Lunessa stood with a feral smile. "That's my boundary alarm. Let's see what idiot has come to try to steal from me today."