I curse myself silently for not reaching that answer on my own. With Thalassa’s interference still locking so much of Noa’s magic away, letting it surface only in unpredictable flashes, it’s easy to forget what she’s truly capable of.
I rise to my feet and pull Noa up with me. She wavers for a moment before forcing herself steady. I keep my arm locked firmly around her waist as we move to meet Amara halfway. My body is already braced, my wolf pressing hard beneath my skin, ready to hunt if an enemy dares to show itself.
“How many?” I ask, skipping pleasantries.
“Two. Possibly three,” Amara replies, in that cool, unflappable way of hers. “They crossed in near the schoolhouse, but I have no way of knowing where they went from there.”
That’s all I need to know.
The wards she placed are sensitive. She promised me that when she erected them. Promised she’d be able to sense the difference between one of ours crossing through and a soul that doesn’t belong here. The high priestess wouldn’t be standing in front of me now if this were harmless.
What follows happens fast.
Orders leave my mouth as I slip fully into command, my voice carrying across the clearing. Enforcers shift and scatter in different directions, each having their predetermined orders in the event of something like this. Those who came to train but are still too green and too much of a risk to join the possible fight we’re looking at make their way back to the lodge in tight, organized huddles. Gareth and his crew will keep them there and watch over everyone until I give the all clear.
The witches in attendance turn instinctually toward Amara, waiting for her direction. I don’t dare interfere or interrupt, letting her guide her coven.
I look to Rook next.
He’s already tearing free of his clothes, dark fur rippling beneath his skin. “Canaan’s on patrol already,” he tells me what I already know. “I’ll meet up with him, and we’ll run the closest border. Try and find where they crossed into your territory.”
My chin dips once, that’s all there’s time for.
He begins to shift. The transformation one, brutal motion as his bones break and muscles twist into new shapes. In a matter of seconds, a dark-brown-and-black wolf stands where my friend was. Rook’s wolf gives a short bark of acknowledgment before bolting toward the tree line.
He hasn’t fully disappeared before my attention is shifting to Noa.
She’s slipped from my hold, something my wolf does not appreciate in the slightest while in this heightened and defensive state. He wants her in his hold, where he knows she’s safe. But she’s not really leaving me, she’s just stepping forward to place herself between Siggy and Hattie as they approach. Even now, even with everything she’s fighting internally, Noa straightens. Her presence shifts, becomes immovable. She becomes exactly what they need. She takes Siggy’s hand. Rubs Hattie’s shoulder. Whispers reassurances that I can’t fully make out, but I can see the way both omegas cling to my mate’s steadiness, shaken by the sudden uncertainty.
I step forward, already reaching for her and bracing for the argument I know is coming. As Alpha, I should be the one tracking down whatever crossed into my territory, taking point before it can threaten my people. But I can’t leave Noa, not when in my absence she’s forced to hold herself upright by will alone. She needs me close to keep her steady. I need to get her home, where it’s warm and secure, where I can keep her tucked against me while we wait to learn if this is a real danger or something else entirely.
“Baby,” I start softly. “Let’s go. We need to drive back?—”
She shakes her head before I can finish, cutting me off clean.
“I’ll go back to the house with Siggy and Hattie, but you’re going with Amara,” she tells me, the resolve in her tone leaving no room for argument. “You need to see what’s managed to slip through her wards.”
“Noa—” Her name catches, dread tightening like a vise around my ribs. I can already feel the wrongness of being apart from her—know exactly how hard this separation will hit her when she’s already been struggling the past couple days.
“No.” Her eyes lock with mine, unwavering despite everything. “You’re the Alpha of this pack, Ren. If this is a real threat, and our people are in danger, they’ll need you out here. Not hiding with me.” She steps forward out from between her Nightingales and takes my hand. “I’ll be safe at home, waiting for you. Go.”
Our people.
Her word choice lands hard and she knows it. She’s called this place home before. Claimed space in my house as hers. But this is the first time she’s claimed the people in this territory asours.
Our Luna, my wolf all but purrs with approval in my head.
A low, broken sound of frustration rips from my throat as I give in. I step into her space and kiss her hard, her lips startlingly warm despite the cold. My fingers fist the fabric of the jacket she’s wearing, grounding and pleading all at once in this stolen moment. I don’t know if this is some kind of public claim or just a way to steady my wolf—andmyself. I don’t care either way. I just know I need it.
When I pull back, I keep my forehead pressed to hers. “Stay in the house, Noa. Don’t leave until you hear from me, and only me, that it’s safe. Once I know what we’re dealing with, I’ll come straight back to you.”
“I know you will,” she replies easily, her quiet faith in me still wrecking me, before nudging my chest. “Now go.”
I turn away with lead in my gut and weight in my legs. Around me, my pack and the coven fall into motion, those of us who can shifting as we move across the clearing in the direction of the breached ward.
Chapter 37
Rennick
