The whole pack runs out and assembles in front of our house. Except for Sarah and Philip, who will be taking all the pups to the basement and locking themselves in. We’ve rehearsed this. I just never thought we’d actually be doing it for real. We don’t have beef with anyone. We are not rich and our lands are fairly shit. Why would anyone attack us?
Shit. We haven’t done a drill since Fitz has been here. He won’t know what to do. I give him a quick, worried glance, but he is fine. He is standing next to me, standing with his pack and looking like he is ready for anything. Having him with us makes me feel much more confident. Even though my wolf is whining in confusion, it wants to protect the omega. Whereas I want his fighting skills to help protect the pack. Pride and concern both swirl through me. Fitz is such a confusing bastard, as usual.
Two cars sweep up. Dark and nondescript. Neither fancy or battered rust buckets. Two human mages get out of the lead car and three vampires out of the second car. What the hell is this? This is even more incomprehensible than strange shifters barraging into our territory. What could mages and vampires want with us?
One of the human mages calmly buttons up his suit jacket. He has long blond hair and cold eyes.
“I am Ethaniel Methuen, enforcer of the Council. Fitz Waterford, you have been summoned for questioning.”
The Council? Here? Wanting to take Fitz away? The sheer horror of it washes all my thoughts aside. This cannot be happening.
Fitz draws a knife from his waistband and drops into a fighting crouch. I didn’t know the little shit had a knife on him but I’m glad. But I’m going to have to find out where he keeps getting them from.
He flashes me a quick questioning glance, his eyes wide and full of alarm, but also trust. He would put the blade down if I told him to. My chest tightens. He sees my answer in my eyes and settles into his defensive position.
The enforcers frown and summon their magic. The sight bypasses my mind and speaks directly to the most primal part of myself. Terror and rage overwhelms me, I fling a wave of magic at them that knocks them to their asses. Then I jump forward and growl, letting my alpha wolf show in the threatening sound.
“Touch him and you die!” I warn them.
They are not taking Fitz anywhere. I don’t care if they are from the Council. Fitz has been through enough. He will not go through interrogation from paranormal authorities, presumably for his knowledge of hunters. It’s not going to happen. They can take him over my dead body.
The world descends into chaos and violence. I’m fighting with my magic, with my teeth, claws. My everything. Dimly I’m aware of other fights erupting around me, but I’m only paying attention to Fitz, he is by my side and holding his own. The bastards will not get him.
Suddenly everything goes still. I can’t move. Silence has fallen. Fitz is still by my side, panting, but unharmed. A quick glance shows none of the pack looks seriously injured. They are all just inexplicably immobilized like I am. Frantically I look around to try to see what has frozen us all.
I see the tail end of a portal closing. An omega is standing in front of it. He is all dark hair and eyes and utterly terrifying. His magic is coiling around me. Ominous, woven of shadows and night, and very, very potent. Ice runs up my spine. I’ve never met anyone so powerful. It’s like staring into the void and discovering how insignificant and meaningless you are.
He has to be Silas Darkstar, necromancer and Grand Master of the Council. His dark eyes rake over me before dismissing me utterly to regard Fitz.
“I take it he is yours?” Silas asks Fitz. “I can see he hasn’t claimed you, but is he yours?”
Fitz’s green eyes flick to me before turning back to the Grand Master. Oh shit, they are talking about me. My guts churn. I really don’t want to be the center of attention. Right now, I want to be cowering in the corner. I’ve never been so intimidated in my life.
Fitz nods. A clear decisive nod, with no hesitation. And now it feels like fireworks exploding inside my soul. I may be about to meet a horrible death but suddenly I don’t care. Fitz said I was his. Nothing else matters.
Something comes flying towards me and I only just catch it before it hits me in the face. It’s a pair of magic binding cuffs. I stare at the Grand Master.
“Put them on and you can come with him.”
I try to swallow over my dry throat. The necromancer’s dark gaze is boring into me. He is wearing soft gray pajamas and his long hair is up in a messy bun. I think that is baby sick on his shoulder, and is he wearing slippers? His clothes should make him less intimidating, but it has the opposite effect. A fresh wave of terror rolls over me at the realization that we have clearly interrupted his family time.
“It’s the best and only offer I’m going to give you,” he warns.
Hastily, I put the cuffs on, wincing as my magic blacks out. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. Is that a glimpse of sympathy in the Grand Master’s eyes? Surely not.
I cast a quick guilty glance at Callum, I didn’t even think to ask my Alpha’s opinion before acting. Whether to fight or to surrender and go with the enforcers. But Alpha’s expression is blank and I can’t tell what he is thinking. Besides, it is too late now.
“Now get in the car and be good boys. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
I scramble to obey, pausing only to check that Fitz is doing the same, but he is an intelligent man. He knows when to comply and when to fight.
The vampires put us in the back seat of their car and lock the doors. The Grand Master nods at them. Then he opens up a purple portal and disappears into it. Fitz’s eyes are huge. He has probably never seen any magic like that.
“He is an omega?” whispers Fitz, sounding very confused. And understandably so. The world has never seen an omega like Silas Darkstar before.
“Yes,” I manage to croak out.
Fitz gives me a strange look that takes me a moment to decipher. Then I get it. Hero worship. Makes a whole heap of sense. Of course Fitz is going to think Silas Darkstar is amazing. I can almost see Fitz setting fire to his goals of becoming a sweet, biddable omega. He has got a new role model now. A deadly, terrifying one. And I kind of like it.
