Chapter 30

Chapter

Thirty

As Fane's stare sizzled over my skin, pouring a strange combination of fear and excitement through my bloodstream, I sat up straight, trying not to disturb the two slumbering wolves on either side. The demon shifter had slipped into Mohan Wilds without notice.

He didn't want to be seen until now. Was he ready to kill me?

"Ruin and Logan brought me back to the Anders," I said. "I'm staying with them."

"What do you mean back ?" The tattoos on his arms twitched as his demon wolf simmered just under the surface, wanting out. "Why the fuck would you ever be with my family?"

I told him I'd been to Mohan Wilds and met his ex-fated but never went into detail. Plus, he didn't seem to believe a word that came out of my mouth.

"We were staying here before surrendering to Venna." I tugged the blanket down and dragged a hand over my face. "Of course you don't remember any of that." The spell had wiped out nearly everything after we met.

A threatening growl slid between his teeth. "I remember that you killed Warin."

The youngest wolf stirred beside me, yawning as he woke up to the dangerous demon shifter looming over me. Dylan blinked and took a few moments to process the situation. "Fane!"

When he attempted to jump up and hug his cousin, I slammed my arm against his torso to stop him.

Fane scoffed. "I wouldn't hurt my own family." He cracked his neck, the pops echoing like gunshots. "It's you I'm going to hurt."

Dylan protectively laid his hand over my arm. "What the hell, Fane?"

Preston jumped awake, his green eyes widening when they landed on Fane. "Dylan, go to bed."

The younger wolf's mouth dropped. "What? Why? I'm not a kid."

"I'm serious." Preston tossed the blanket off and stood. "Now is not the time to argue."

"Whatever." Dylan gently pulled my arm aside, stood, and trudged toward the stairs. "Don't do anything stupid, Fane. And by stupid, I mean don't hurt Tate."

Fane's head yanked in his cousin's direction, his brows furrowed at the twelve-year-old's hard glare. "What the hell is going on?"

Preston stood in front of me, crossing his arms against his chest. "If you came here to kill Tate, you can just walk back out the door."

"I suppose you're going to stop me, Pres?" Fane stepped toward his cousin as raw, untamed energy pumped off him. "You really think you can take me?"

Preston's face paled, but he didn't back down. "You're my family, and I love you, so I'll try to talk some sense into you first." He flicked his hand in my direction. "You would never hurt her. You would murder anyone who tried."

"I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me I wouldn't hurt the woman who murdered my fucking brother." The demon shifter's hands curled into tight fists as his inner beast drew closer. "Ruin tried to convince me of this bullshit earlier. How she was able to screw with his mind is beyond me. It looks like she got to my family too."

"You're the only one under a spell, Maverick." I shot to my feet and slipped around Preston, bringing my toes to Fane's boots. "Why can't you see that? Venna had her personal witch, Kaspin, enchant you. Don't you sense the holes in your memory?"

"Fane, buddy, let's just calm down." Logan sped down the stairs with Ephraim and Nora on his heels. "I'm sure you're really confused."

Dylan must have woken everyone up.

A string of curses bolted out of the demon shifter's mouth, and he backed away, shoving his hand through his black locks. "Why are you all protecting her!" The rage wrapping every syllable punched me in the gut.

"Because you would want us to." Ephraim slowly approached his seething nephew and lifted his palms in surrender. "She's your mate."

"Whoa, not exactly." I scratched my neck, suddenly feeling hot. "We aren't mates as in wolf mates."

Ephraim scoffed. "Might as well be. I know you two have some kind of bond, and to everyone in the pack, he's laid his claim on you."

"You do still smell of him," Preston mumbled with a shrug.

"Can't you detect that, Fane?" Nora asked, tightening the belt on her plush white housecoat. "Haven't you noticed how she smells?"

His brows slammed together. "Well, I just thought…" He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought it was a trick or something. It has to be. I would never betray Warin like that."

"It's no trick, honey." Nora motioned to the right side of the room where framed pictures of the family sat on the bookshelf. "She's been here with you."

My jaw slackened at the new pictures of me with Fane and the Anders. When were those taken?

Lines deepened across Fane's forehead as he studied the photos, his chest heaving. "That's not…"

My throat tightened at the confusion thrumming through him. The urge to take away his emotional distress shredded my insides apart. I lifted my hand but dropped it at the last second. He'd freak out or assume I was using magic on him.

Nora plucked another frame off the wall and slowly walked toward Fane. "I took this last time you were here." She showed him a picture of the two of us outside in the yard. We were arguing when Fane tackled me into a pile of leaves. He laughed as he plucked them from my hair.

His eyes had rarely looked so full of life and happiness. It only lasted a moment, but Nora managed to capture and preserve it.

He took the picture from her, searching for signs it had been tampered with like this was one big conspiracy. "It's not possible." As his grip tightened, the wooden frame creaked from the pressure.

Logan snagged it out of his hand. "You bit her. You can't deny that just like you can't deny your connection."

Fane toyed with the bloodstone necklace he wore. "But she killed Warin."

I twisted my hair around and tossed it over my shoulder. "I didn't have a choice. You understood that before. Venna's spell is making you forget everything we've gone through, and all you can focus on is your hatred for me."

Ephraim stepped closer and rested his hand on Fane's shoulder. "You brought Tate here. She's a part of you, and she's become part of our family. We won't let you hurt her. You would never forgive yourself if you did."

Blood thundered in my ears, and I could barely breathe as Ephraim's words settled in. I was part of a family? Their family? Did he really mean that?

Fane's gaze snapped toward mine as he felt the intense swell of emotion building in me. "None of this makes sense. It's like I'm living in another reality." He analyzed the tattoo on my neck, his fingers twitching.

Did he want to touch it? Or did he simply want to strangle me?

"You can believe Venna is evil enough to put a spell on you to make you forget, right?" I asked, resisting the urge to reach for him.

"She's a piece of work, so anything is possible." He cursed and palmed the back of his neck. "It still doesn't mean I believe you and I are mates."

"You will." Preston sidled up to me and rested his arm over my shoulders. "Or you can watch some other wolf with her." His lips twisted into a sinister grin.

Provoking Fane right now was not in his best interest, but Preston liked living dangerously. Obviously.

A vein throbbed in Fane's forehead as he scowled at his cousin's arm wrapped around my shoulders. "Like I care."

Preston snorted. "Right. That's why you look like you want to rip my face off."

With one final glower, Fane marched out of the house, his rage and confusion still soaking the room long after he vanished.

Amelia glared when I entered the meeting room in Camus's house as council members took their seats at the long, mahogany table. Her lips pulled into a snarl, and if I was closer, I would have felt the vibrations of her growl. Torrance, the older wolf who held the beta position before Dorian and after Fane's dad, didn't openly hate me, but he wasn't welcoming either.

Camus had called the Anders' house to invite me to a meeting with two visiting alphas from nearby packs to discuss the missing shifters. Even though I was curious, part of me wished he hadn't. I wasn't in the best state of mind to endure scathing looks and sneers, especially after Fane showed up at the house last night, ready to murder me.

"What is she doing here?"

My ears wanted to bleed at the sound of Marissa's haughty voice. She stood at the head of the table as if she planned to take her father's seat. She'd make a horrible alpha, even worse than her mate Dorian, who wasn't in attendance.

Not a surprise, considering Camus stripped him of his beta title.

"Maybe someone should put her in her place." Malice gleamed from Dominic's green eyes, and his smile sent chills down my back. "Outside in the trash."

I covertly flipped him off. "Wow. Never heard that one before." He'd have to do a lot better than that to make me slink away with my tail between my legs.

Marissa flicked raven curls behind her shoulder and sashayed toward me, grimacing like she tasted something horrible. "I heard there's trouble in paradise."

Heat flooded my cheeks, but I kept my expression blank. Did her father tell her about the spell on Fane? "What's the point in life if everything is easy? I like a challenge. It makes things more exciting." Total bullshit .

"Fane wants to kill you instead of fuck you." The alpha's daughter folded her arms and chuckled. "I'd say that's more than a challenge."

"It's just a spell. It'll pass." I gave a noncommittal shrug. "And he still wants me. You know what they say about love and hate. It's a thin line." That wasn't bullshit.

Blood rushed to her cheeks, annoyed her insults didn't faze me. "Well, Fane hates me more than anyone."

"Not really. He barely thinks of you at all now. I'm on his mind twenty-four seven." Most of those thoughts centered around killing me, though.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear…

Tiny electric jolts crackled over my tattoo as Fane walked in, his presence choking the large room. All eyes tracked to him, even Marissa's, but his focus remained on me.

I tried to slow my breaths as a myriad of emotions coiled around me. My heart crashed against my ribs while heat spread up my throat and into my face. Fane hadn't left Mohan Wilds like I thought. Had his family tried getting through to him?

From the way his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists, I could tell he still had the strong urge to yank the life out of me.

While Fane's sudden presence distracted me, Marissa had crossed the room to him. Her mouth moved, but he was laser focused on me. Camus came in with a younger male who must have been his interim beta.

"Everyone, take a seat." The alpha waved me over and pointed to one of the chairs against the wall. "I'd like you to just listen in and give me your thoughts after the meeting. I don't want the council to start an argument over your presence while we have visiting alphas, but I would appreciate any input."

"I'll do anything I can to help." I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep from fidgeting. "Why is Fane here?"

A faint smile tugged at his mouth. "He insisted on coming—after he found out you were invited." Camus leaned toward my ear and lowered his voice. "I'm pretty sure it's because Alpha Saint, one of our visitors, is young, powerful, and looking for a mate."

My eyebrow arched. "Or because Fane just wants to strangle me."

Camus shook his head and motioned the demon shifter over who had yet to acknowledge his ex-fated's presence. My blood simmered as the demon shifter closed the gap between us.

"Can I trust you to be civil with Tate?" the alpha asked.

Fane gave a curt nod. "I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Good." He pointed to a chair. "Have a seat."

Instead of taking the one next to mine, Fane kept an empty chair between us. It was probably for the best. He might be capable of keeping his hands to himself, but I wasn't sure I had that much restraint. We'd barely been allowed to see each other in Heldrok, and my body ached to be pressed against his.

As the meeting began, the visiting alphas arrived. Camus failed to mention that Alpha Saint was also hot as hell. Ebony curls tumbled around his rugged, sun-kissed face, and silvery eyes burned between a pair of sooty lashes. As Ephraim led him into the meeting room, Saint's attention pulled toward me. And lingered.

Throughout the meeting, the young alpha glanced my way multiple times. When Fane slid into the chair next to mine while a low growl built in his throat, I started to think Camus might have been right.

I fought back a smile as Fane leaned closer. The faint scent of paint drifted from him, and dots of black, gray, navy, and white splattered his hands. He must have been in his art studio earlier. Hopefully, he was working out his rage on a new canvas, one he'd probably never show me.

"Why has no one else from your pack gone missing, Camus?" The other alpha, a female, tapped her tan fingers against her glass. Her caramel hair was cut into a blunt bob similar to Amelia's, but her features weren't nearly as harsh. "You seem to be the only pack within our region that hasn't been effected with the exception of Joseph Morrice. "

Camus showed his palms before placing them back on the table. "I have no idea, Gerry. We have multiple sentries patrolling our territory day and night. Maybe the culprits have given up on breaking through our defenses."

She scoffed. "Our pack is larger, and we have twice as many patrols, yet more of our members have vanished."

"Your territory is also bigger," Saint pointed out, his deep, husky voice pouring warmth down my spine. "There are bound to be holes in your defenses."

The tiny muscles in Fane's jaw ticked as if he knew I enjoyed the sound of the young alpha's voice.

Gerry smoothed her white t-shirt. "Or if demons are involved, perhaps you have a mutual friend that has kept your pack safe." Her dark eyes flickered toward Fane.

My instincts kicked in, and I opened my mouth to defend him, but the Mohan alpha spoke first.

"Don't throw around accusations, Gerry." A vein in his temple pulsed. Everyone knew who she was referring to, and some probably agreed. "Besides, Fane and his mate haven't even been in this realm for the last year."

Saint's gaze snapped to mine and then Fane's as the demon shifter casually angled a millimeter closer.

"If you have any other theories that hold water, I'd love to hear them, Gerry." Camus's stern, brisk tone shut down any more of the female alpha's unfounded allegations against Fane.

"I may have something." Saint clasped his hands on the table. "I've noticed that everyone missing from my pack is a bitten wolf and not born. The same is true for the mixed shifter pack on my left and the panthers on my right."

Gerry studied her notebook for several moments. "I think you're right, Saint. I didn't notice until now." Her head lifted, and she looked back at Camus. "Was Joseph bitten?"

"Yes, he was." Camus dragged his hand down his face. "Why would they only go after bitten shifters, and how would they be able to pick them out? Only shifters can tell a difference."

"A witch could probably cast a spell to find out," Julia said, sitting a few chairs down from Camus.

Could someone be singling bitten shifters out for some reason? Did they have something born ones didn't?