“She hit him with a simple knockout and containment spell,” Jewels finally said, which should have been good news, but her expression wasn’t giving happy feelings.
Her brow furrowed as she turned to where Hunter waited impatiently by the open door.
“What aren’t you telling us?” he said in a low, forceful tone.
Her worried expression didn’t ease, and I was forced to pace round and round in my small section of the car. “The spell wasn’t designed for Kellan,” she finally said with a heavy sigh. “Which means it’s reacting erratically inside him, especially as he’s a powerful alpha. Two powerfulforeignmagics do not like to mix.”
She returned her gaze to Kellan, and my wolf shuddered on the spot as panic almost took me down. “What else?” Finley asked from outside the car. I couldn’t see him from my spot trapped in here, but I heard him just fine. “Tell us how we can fix it.”
His usual angry, bear-like rasp was tinged with the same panic I felt. The very thought that Kellan was hurt or…. worse.Nope.Finley and I weren’t capable of dealing with this, but for our Golden Boy we’d figure out how to keep it together.
“This spell was keyed to the witch you just killed,” Jewels added somberly. “It’s a simple spell to remove, if you were the one who cast it. Its sole purpose was to keep a shifter unconscious during transport.”
Translation: it was designed to keep me unconscious until I was delivered to the Rogers pack. A pack of alphas too chickenshit to even be here and fight their own battles.
Hunter gripped the frame of the door, crushing the dinged metal in his hands. “Are you telling me that with this witch dead,there’s nothing we can do to help Kellan? That he’ll remain in this unconscious state forever?”
Jewels eyes were shiny as she swallowed roughly, and while I wanted to cover my ears for whatever she said next, in this form, I was forced to hear the bad news.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head roughly. “He won’t remain like this forever.”
Hunter released the car and his left hand shot out to wrap around her throat. It wasn’t my claiming hand, and it wasn’t in the sexy, dominant way he usual acted with me. This hold was brutal and cruel, his expression unyielding as his eyes flashed gold. “What. Do. You. Mean. Jewels?” Each word was dragged out through his gritted teeth, his jaw already elongating into his wolf.
“Eve—eventu—” she coughed, unable to speak around his crushing grip. Hunter flexed his fingers, relieving just enough pressure for her to spit it out. “Eventually the spell will kill him. The… they’re not des—” Another cough “…designed for long-term use.”
Hunter dragged her from the car until she dangled before him, looking even more tiny and doll-like in his massive grip. “Unacceptable. You will figure out how to fix him or I will destroy you, your bloodline, and anyone your family has interacted with in the last century. Do you understand? I will wipe you from existence, as if you were never here at all.”
Even though Jewels was clearly a powerful witch, pure panic lined her face as she struggled against his hold. To no avail. “O-okay. I’ll figure it out.”
Slade and Finley stepped in on either side of Hunter, and the three of them were visibly intimidating as they faced off against Jewels. Ialmostfelt sorry for the witch, while still feeling relief that she had anextra incentiveto give the task of saving Kellan her entire focus.
I refused to believe that this attack, which had been meant for me, was the end for Kellan. Naïve or not, I would not accept that fate.
Why did he put himself between me and the attack?I fucking hated that. I hated anyone standing between me and danger.
This was my fault… well, my stupid mother’s fault. Which I’d inherited.
These alphas didn’t deserve to be hurt because they were unlucky enough to be scent matched to me. I’d tried to warn them, and if they’d have just let me go when I first came into their lives, none of this would have happened to them.
As if he’d heard that thought, Hunter’s dark and gold-flecked gaze snapped toward me. That alpha-laden stare held my wolf in thrall, both sides of me terrifiedand excitedby the ferality he exuded. “Kellan needs you now, Omega. Don’t even fucking think of running because the shit has hit the fan.”
My wolf shook again, fury and pain driving my body to the brink. To the brink of what, I had no idea. Sanity, exhaustion, pain, panic.
In my wolf form, there was no way for me to tell Hunter that if I had to run to save them, there was nothing that would stop me. For the first time, my need to escape wasn’t about saving myself, and I found thatsaving my packwas an even stronger driving force.
These alphas deserved to be protected.
Slade, in one of his weirdly intuitive moments, figured out exactly where my head was at. “She thinks it’s her fault,” he said, as he watched me closely. “She wants to run to protect us from other magic and the dangers this Rogers Pack might bring into our lives.”
I couldn’t for the life of me understand why he made that sound like the stupidest choice ever. Two of four alphas had been attacked in only the few weeks I’d known them.
Because of me.
“She will not run. She will not leave Kellan when he’s hurt and needs her.” Hunter said it so matter-of-factly, and there they went again, knowing me better than anyone else ever had.
Jewels let out a gasping cough as Hunter finally released her; he enjoyed making his point in a manner that left no room for interpretation. His dominance didn’t allow for space to negotiate or misunderstand.
I’d never really had his fury directed my way, and I wondered how he’d act if I got on his bad side. Would I be the exception to his usual brutal means of achieving his end desires?
