Chapter Seven: Mason

He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. Walking away from her was going to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

If he lost her a second time, he wasn't sure what he'd do.

We won't lose her,his wolf said. Unless we fail to get that brooch back and Guinevere Gwilym casts a location spell that brings the wrath of the pack and the coven raining down on us.

You could have simply told me to get on with it,Mason said as he took one step and then two steps away from the cabin.

When have you ever done anything simply?his wolf asked.

Mason chuckled to himself as he forced himself to walk away. His senses were still locked on Tamsin, who was safe in the cabin.

And probably better able to take care of herself than we could,his wolf said.

Did you sense the power building in her back in town? Mason asked.

Was she always that powerful? his wolf asked.

Maybe that is why she is a danger,Mason replied.

Here's a thought,his wolf said.

One I don't want to hear? Mason asked.

Maybe, but you need to hear it anyway, his wolf answered.

Go on then,Mason said, already knowing he was not going to like it.

What if the prophecy is coming true right before our eyes?his wolf said.

You mean that everything that has happened is all because of the prophecy, that it's almost impossible to circumvent it? Mason asked.

Yes. Tamsin wound up on a desert island, where she was all nice and safe, until the time of the prophecy drew near. And then that quirky tavern brought her back here just in the nick of time so it could be fulfilled. Maybe it was always supposed to happen like this. His wolf's version of events was absolutely plausible, but at the same time, one of the craziest things he had ever heard.

We can figure this out later, Mason said. For now, let's go get the brooch so that no one can track Tamsin. We'll have time after that.

With that, he went to the edge of the outcrop and climbed down. As soon as his feet hit the dirt, he sprang forward, the air around him shimmering as he shifted from man to wolf. At a sprint, he headed across the mountains, his senses alert for any sign of danger.

He'd presumed that his father was going to act as if everything was normal, so that Mason did not suspect that Tamsin had returned. But he could be wrong.

You know us turning up unannounced like this is going to look suspicious,his wolf said.

Yeah. Mason was not a frequent visitor to the packlands. His father had always been old-fashioned in his views and the way he controlled the pack. Living by the old ways and the old traditions, even when most of the other packs in the area around Wishing Moon Bay had become more modernized, realizing that they had to change or else become obsolete.

Yeah, the way our father is going, he won't need a prophecy to end the pack. He'll do it all on his own. His wolf was right. The pack numbers had been slowly diminishing, with those remaining being older members.

The pack needed fresh blood and new ideas if it was going to survive. Something Mason hoped he could accomplish when he took over from his father.

But not if his father banished him and then stripped him of his inheritance because of his dissent.

If the prophecy is true, there won't be anything to inherit,his wolf reminded him.

I'd like to find out who wrote that prophecy,Mason ground out as they neared their packlands. And maybe wring their neck.

Do you think the tavern knows who wrote it?his wolf asked.

Well, you did say the tavern was likely an agent of fate, so why not ask it?There was more than a hint of sarcasm in Mason's voice, for which he was not proud.

How do we ask a tavern?His wolf stretched out, taking long strides as they crossed a wide mountain plain. Soon they would drop down from the mountains into the valley where his pack had set up home centuries ago, and as they reached the lip of the valley and looked down, Mason was reminded that the houses that huddled in the valley base might have been there just as long.

It all looks so tired, his wolf said from their vantage point overlooking the valley.

Maybe it really is time for the pack to end,Mason said, and yet as he stood here with the mountain at his back, it was as if he could feel the eyes of his ancestors upon him.

This was his birthright. And his children's birthright. Children he would one day have with Tamsin.

If we survive what's to come, his wolf reminded him.

And if we find the brooch before the location spell is cast,Mason added.

His wolf leaped down from boulder to boulder, his senses alert for any sign that his father had ordered their capture.

But everything seemed quiet as he reached the edge of town and ventured on.

The hard dirt and gravel road that led through the collection of log cabins and lodges was void of any movement. From where Mason's wolf stood at the edge of the first couple of small dwellings, he could sense every member of the pack.

It had been some time since he'd been back to where he once called home, but everyone was familiar to him. This place never changed. In many ways, it was comforting. The dark woods and high valley walls had protected his family and their ancestors for so long, each cabin had been made by hand and comradery, and looked almost as natural as the plants and birds around them.

It's just a shame that their ideals, and their obsession with tradition never changed either, his wolf grumbled as he trotted on.

We don't have time to dwell on that right now, Mason told his wolf.

Agreed.His wolf loped on, ready for action. Ready to defend himself. But all seemed quiet. Just another morning in the lives of the DuskWood Pack.

Our father really doesn't want the news of Tamsin's return to be known, Mason said.

Not when the time is so close. He'd rather not have anyone question how he had let this happen, when he is supposed to be the all-knowing, all powerful pack alpha he makes himself out to be.

Their paws made little noise as they slinked down the road, toward the large long house standing at the end of the track, which served as both the alpha's home and the meeting place of the pack.

This was where he was heading. If the brooch was anywhere, it would be inside his father's house.

As Mason drew nearer, he sensed the unmistakable, formidable presence of his father inside. On the doorstep, on either side of the faded wooden door, stood Timnel and Robson, his father's most trusted two. Trusted even more than Mason, his own son.

Perhaps our father knew we would betray him,his wolf said.

Perhaps, Mason said with a twinge of guilt.

The two men crossed from the door to lean on the railing around the porch, watching Mason wordlessly as he approached, shifting into his human form as he reached the steps.

He locked eyes with both men each in turn, though this time it was out of challenge rather than respect, before he crossed the porch and stepped inside his father's house. The place he used to call home.

Once inside, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness that clung to the corners of the hall. Mason paused and then headed into the room, and the ruddy glow of the dying embers of a fire in the center brazier was the only welcome.

Drawn to the glow, he approached with his hands outstretched, seeking warmth in this cold house. But there was no comfort to be found in this room, with its air heavy with the smell of smoke and must of wolf's fur.

"Mason." His father's rumbling voice came from the other side of the glowing coals.

"Father."

He doesn't sound happy, his wolf said.

He never does.

"You have not returned home for four months…" His father's eyes gleamed in the gloomy light. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Well, we had the whole run over here to come up with something.

"I heard rumors the DawnLight Coven has become much more active in town as the conjunction of the moon and Venus draws near. I wanted to make sure that all was well here."

He could see his father's eyes narrow. "All is well here, Mason."

"Is that why Timnel and Robson are standing guard outside your door?" Mason stepped around the brazier, deeper into the lodge.

Where would his father keep the broach? In his room? Hung up as a trophy? Perhaps hidden away under the floorboards.

The eyes of his father followed him intently. "As you said. The coven is making their move, perhaps, as you say, drawing power from the heavens. It's wise to be careful when our enemies act differently."

"If that's the case, then why didn't you send for me?" Mason asked. "Why not ask me to be by your side?"

"I should not need to ask." His father chuckled, a harsh sound. "The question should be, why were you not here? With your pack? With your father?"

Mason stopped and tensed his jaw. "You know why. I needed some time. After..."

"After you killed Tamsin of the DawnLight Coven?" His father sat up straighter. "The one prophesied to bring an end to the coven and the pack when the moon and Venus align?"

"Yes," Mason replied.

"You are a much better liar than I thought, but you are also much more of a fool than I could have ever imagined." His father stood up, his imposing figure a dark silhouette in the dark lodge, his eyes towering over Mason's head.

"Is something the matter?" Mason asked levelly.

"I think you know what is wrong. Tamsin of the DawnLight Coven lives. You failed, and not only that, but you also lied to me," his father barked. "And so it is good you were not living here, for you would not be welcome. If you came here to offer your help, it was a waste of a trip."

Maybe not.

"If she lives, then give me her brooch, the trophy I took from her, and let me finish the task this time." Mason stood tall, squaring up to his father.

His father shook his head. "I will take care of the matter this time, to see it done. And you, son, will be punished for your insolence." He gave a short sharp whistle, and the doors flung open, with a welcome gust of cool fresh air.

Mason didn't hesitate. The moment he had sensed movement from outside, he had shifted, and his wolf launched himself through the doors before they had even finished opening, sailing over the heads of Timnel and Robson, before taking off toward the tree line.

He sensed the other two pack members shift behind him and heard the thundering of their paws falling on the packed dirt of the road as they gave chase.

However, instead of following the road into the forest, he took a sharp turn between two of the lodges, and pushed his legs to move as fast as possible as he built up speed, heading straight for the steep valley side.

He sprang up, leaping to a seemingly impossible height and landing on the ridgeline several meters above. He quickly scrambled up a game trail, not looking back until he reached the top. Robson attempted to make the same jump but fell short, bouncing off the unforgiving stone below. Timnel's wolf also struggled, but eventually managed to reach the ridge with some effort.

We'll lose them, his wolf said as he carried on up the trail.

They had made sure to take the side of the valley that was still coated in shadow as the sun began to peek over the mountains, the mottled fur of his wolf blending in as they kept low and fast, tearing through the thick wiry shrubs that grew on the valley side.

Mason could hear Timnel below them, closing the distance between them as he followed his alpha's orders in relentless pursuit. He was getting closer, as he took a risk and climbed straight up the side of the valley toward Mason. His progress betrayed by the occasional clatter of dislodged stones tumbling down the steep slope.

We need to run faster, Mason said.

No. His speed will be his downfall, his wolf replied. They continued to move quickly, but their progress up the valley side was slowed by the meandering route of the game trail. They followed up the increasingly steep cliff, while Timnel pushed straight upward, bounding up the rocky terrain.

He's nearly on us!Mason yelled, and they glanced down at the houses now far below them, just in time to see the chasing wolf leap at them. However, his paws found no hold on the loose earth, and in a cloud of dust and shale, Timnel rolled down the valley side back toward the lower ground.

We don't always have to forge our own paths.His wolf pawed at the trampled ground of the game trail. Sometimes those that have come before us have already found the way.

Like fate or prophecy?Mason curled his lip at the word.

Perhaps.

He ran on and it wasn't long before they were out of the valley, where he cast one last look down. In the rays of the early sunrise, they could see the huge shape of his father's wolf at a run, reaching the edge of the forest.

He was heading for the DawnLight Coven. And Guinevere.

We won't catch him now, his wolf said.

We've failed, Mason ground out. We'll have to think of something else.

With their shifter senses, they followed the presence of his father as he loped through the trees, as he took the left fork in the road, heading toward Wishing Moon Bay and the coven.

We must find Tamsin. Fast. Between us, we'll figure it out. His wolf turned away from the valley and ran on. The rugged terrain was no trouble for him, being more than familiar with the area, knowing all the safe and quick passages, and before he knew it, the cabin was in sight.

But something was wrong.

Panic gripped him as he finally neared the cabin. He could not sense her.

Perhaps we were wrong and she can cloak herself from shifters,his wolf suggested.

Maybe,Mason said. It's not as if she trusts us enough to be truthful.

Although he'd never heard of a spell that could evade the pull of the mating bond.

Could the location spell already be cast? his wolf asked. Could Father have known where she was?

I don't think there would have been time for him to take the brooch to Guinevere, have her cast the spell and for the pack to have reached the cabin already,Mason said. Let alone then have carried her away, out of range of our senses.

Perhaps if Guinevere magicked her away?his wolf suggested.

Just as Sophie did. Mason did not like that idea one bit.

Mason's wolf lengthened his stride and ran swift and true toward the cabin, while making sure that he was not followed.

When they reached the bottom of the outcrop, he shifted and climbed to the top, running for the cabin and flinging open the door.

She was gone.

He didn't need to enter the cabin to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his mate was not here. But he entered anyway.

Her scent lingered on the air. He inhaled deeply. And there was another scent that was too faint to recognize.

But certainly not one of the pack.

He didn't know whether or not that was a comfort.

As he went back outside, he pushed out his scenes, straining to find her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

So what's our plan? his wolf asked.

We find her.