He growls, shrugging me off. “Well aware. One day, I will. I fuckin’ promise you that. We both know the fucker deserves it.” He stalks away, grumbling and shoving branches out of his way.
Carina comes up beside me. “What’s that about?”
“That wolf”—I point—“is Claire’s father.”
“Leah’s mate?”
“Not quite. I’ll tell you the story later. For now, let’s go.”
Sterling, who I’d love nothing more than to set Xander free on, spots us first—though half the gathering also does a split second later. Everyone in the near vicinity halts talking, Carina’s witchy scent hitting them immediately.
“What’s this, Ryder?” Sterling nudges two people aside to approach. “Snack or entertainment?” Dark eyes roam over her body, lingering a moment too long on her legs.
“She’smine.” In more ways than they all—including Carina—understand. A way that’ll end their lives if they so much touch her. “She’s with me. She’s a guest, not a threat. An attack on this witch is an attack on my pack, and we will retaliate.”
Murmurs erupt. From the edges, my own pack moves closer, instinctively preparing to defend. Carina presses closer to me and that simple act forms a fist around my heart.
Sterling—because of mother-fucking-course it’d be him—is the first to speak. “She’s awitch. How do we know she hasn’t placed you under a spell?”
“She has important information.” Looking from Sterling, I find the other Alphas, Reid and Callum, wandering closer. “If we could begin our meeting sooner than later, I’d appreciate it.”
Reid steps forward to grip Sterling’s shoulder and mutters something in his ear. Both stare at me, then Carina, before turning to push through the crowd. Callum is the last to move. His eyes linger on Carina long enough my hackles rise, and I step in front of her to block his view. Deep-set lowered brows lift up, his mocking smirk nothing more than a weak line, and he too turns away.
With the Alphas not arguing, the people around us return to their conversations. Only now, a tense energy clouds the area, flashing warning signs to not leave her side.
Since I must, I nudge her slightly away from everyone else. Her cheeks are red from the run here, and her adorable eyes are a beacon of proof for everyone to see she’s not like them.
“Stay with Conan. Don’t move from his side. You hear me?”
She nods, biting her bottom lip. That’s my fucking weakness right there, and I push a thumb into the same spot, unable to stop myself. “I’m serious. Do me a favour—no magick unless necessary. No showing off. There shouldn’t be a need to defend.” This I snip directly to Conan, who’s hovering nearby. He bares his neck in submission and acknowledgement.
Then I walk away from my unclaimed mate, in a space full of shifters who’d probably kill her if they knew what she is to me, regardless of the need to keep my purple-eyed witch safe.
“Why should we believe you?”Reid crosses his arms over his chest. “It’s quite the tale.”
“When war breaks and you’re unprepared, don’t come crying to me.” I cross my arms too, drumming my fingers along one arm. The longer this goes on, the longer I’m not with Carina.
Sterling sneers. “Now it all makes sense. You’re using a coven to protect yourselves.”
My teeth snap—seconds away from being in his neck. “We’re working towards a common goal.”
“We’re not questioningyou, Ryder, but rather her intentions.” Reid shares a look with the others, though Sterling’s eye roll indicates heisquestioning me. “Why would she volunteer to be endangered if there isn’t anything more to this?”
“Why wouldn’t she?” The visceral need to defend her, not only physically but her honour too, makes my words spew. “Offering herself to the Darkness has nothing to do with us. There’d be nothing to gain.”
“If it’s like you say,” Sterling starts, “she might be on their side. Turning all witches to black magick sounds like a bigger extermination problem.”
The thought ofanyoneexterminating her brings Sterling one more word closer to his death. “She’s Alpha in her own right; Highridge’s next High Priestess. She’s doing what any one of us would do.”
Callum, who’s remained quiet this entire time, finally breaks his silence. “I believe you—and her. What other reason would this Grove coven use you guys to do their dirty work? Secondly, there is no motivation for your witch to concoct a granderplan. If she wanted to use black magick, why set up her own kidnapping?”
The others remain silent, considering.
“Vampires also being involved means something,” Reid chimes in. “They wouldn’t get themselves involved if they didn’t know something. No, I think you’re right, young Ryder, in bringing this to us. This is something we all need to be aware of and plan for.”
Sterling paces away, huffing.
“You guys do what you want. This was nothing more than a warning. I couldn’t, in good conscious, let us all be harmed. We might need one another in the future.”
