Chapter Nine

Stacia wasn't going to be okay.

Callum kept the wolves off her, but she'd been hurt in the accident, and then she'd burned the skin off of her arms holding Liam—no, Matilda—in the flames.

Matilda had been here all along? And she'd tainted some of his wolves. Turned them against him. Turned them against Stacia.

The night air was frigid, but maybe he was in shock. Everything had been fine this morning, but now he was kneeling in the street holding Stacia's body as her light faded. Her bleeding had slowed. She'd been catastrophically hurt in that crash. Had she even realized it? A bitter, acrid scent filled his senses. He could smell it on her now—death. Fuck.

"I wasn't going to Change you," he told her. "Alex, what do I do?" He looked to his sister, but she only shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I think you have to let her make the choice."

"I don't want to," he said. God, he sounded like he had all those years ago, when he'd been holding Iris. This wasn't Iris. This was Stacia and he loved her. Loved her. He chose her, his wolf was devoted, he would give his life for her, but she was fading.

He'd lost Iris.

Now he was losing Stacia.

She was smiling sweetly, tears running down her cheeks. "It's going to be okay now," she repeated, and it ripped his heart out. Nothing would be okay without her. Didn't she realize what she was?

"Maybe I can make the pain better," he said hoarsely, "But there's a catch. If you survive it, you'll have to be like me." Fuck. He shook his head and swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I'm immortal. The witch cursed me and the pack with it until I could find you. If I Change you into a wolf, like me, I can lift the curse. I thought I wanted to, but then I got to know you. And I…I…"

"Tell her!" Alex barked.

"I fell in love with you. Just you. And I don't want you to be like me." He leaned in closer. "I want better for you."

She was gasping for air now…gasping. She was close now, and in so much pain. She leaned up and whispered into his ear… "Will I get cool-ass super powers?"

He frowned. He must've misunderstood. Easing back, he asked, "What?"

Her bi-colored eyes were wide. "This hurts like…a lot…and if I get superpowers, I'm all in."

Alex snorted behind him.

He parted his lips to respond but no words came out. He tried again. "Stacia, you just burned an ancient witch alive in a car fire with your bare hands, and I'm holding you in the middle of the road without any clothes on, and you're dying. I need you to take stock of the moment and make an intelligent decision. This is a big deal."

"Will I age well?"

"Oh my God," he muttered.

The pack was chuckling behind him.

"No botox ever? Because Alex looks awesome."

Why was he even surprised right now? It was Stacia. "Okay, so your choice is being turned into a monster?"

"A hot monster," she corrected him and fuck it, okay. He let a little chuckle crawl up the back of his throat.

Truth be told, he would give her anything she wanted. She could have his life. She'd just burned the witch who had ruined his life, and that of his pack. She'd picked up that imposter and turned her to ash.

No, bitch. He was always mine.

Oh, he'd heard what she'd said, and damn right, he was hers.

If she wanted the wolf? Callum's face stretched into a slow, accepting grin. He would give her the wolf.

"This is going to hurt a little," he warned her, as the points of his canines sharpened and elongated behind his lips.

Stacia's soft smile demolished every wall he'd erected around his heart over the last three centuries.

Her eyes held nothing but utter confidence when she whispered, "I've always been ready."