CHAPTER 1
TALON
The wheel was foreign under my hands. It felt breakable, like if I squeezed just a little too hard, it would crack and shatter into carbon and Alcantara pieces. I’d recently learned what the G-Wagen’s steering wheel was made of, courtesy of my mate, Emme.
Not that she’d said much else about the vehicle itself, other than asking if I wanted to have my first driving lesson.
We’d just come from trying to visit the Annandale pack’s house but hadn’t even made it to the end of their street. Warrick met us on the road, and while he took the baked goods and apologies from Emme, he hadn’t let her any closer.
They weren’t ready.
But if I had to hear my mate’s silent sobs for one more second, I was going to crush and burn this fucking car. And maybe also this world that kept on hurting her.
“Okay, I’m fine now,” she said, sniffling, and I wondered if she could sense how I fought my demons in the face of her sadness. Sadness I couldn’t fix. “Let’s get this lesson moving. We don’t have a lot of time before our ceremony.”
Her existence had been torn to pieces yesterday, but I’d learned there was never enough time to deal or heal when magic was involved. To fight Jewels, we had to complete our quintet bond and strengthen our pack. Still… “Are you sure you’re up to the ceremony today?”
I didn’t care what it cost us, if she needed another day I’d stand in everyone’s way to ensure she got it.
Turning fully in my seat, I took in her unnaturally drawn features, even as the blue of her dress reflected the golden sheen of her skin. My mate was stunning. I didn’t deserve to be in the presence of such beauty but fuck the goddess if she thought I’d ever give Emme up.
“Yes,” she cleared her throat and forced a smile. “I’m absolutely up for it. I want us to be as powerful as possible. But first… let’s teach you to drive.”
Before I could respond, a motorcycle engine revved. Hunter and Slade were with us, the entitled alpha on his Honda, and my twin on his Ducati. Now that we’d embraced the twin soul connection, I could feel Slade in my essence, almost as strongly as I felt Emme.
Then there was the rest of my pack.
Pack.
For a shifter who’d never really had anyone, it was a huge responsibility to now have many to keep safe under my dragon wing. Thank the goddess my wingspan was large and capable.
Emme turned to meet my gaze, and honestly… I was once again fighting the urge to shift into my beast, steal my mate away, burn the car to the ground, and fly her out of this fucked-up place. If only that wouldn’t damn all shifters, including Emme, to a curse that would steal our ability to shift by the next full moon.
Slade revved his engine again, as a reminder we were on a deadline, and I bit back my snarl. Everyone in this pack enjoyed cars, bikes, engines, and speed. I only enjoyed one of those, but maybe I’d change my mind when I learned how to control these unnatural pieces of metal.
Hence why I was here today, killing time before the ceremony.
With the only shifter I’d ever tolerate a lesson from.
Frankly, Emme could teach me the ancient art of knitting and I’d hang on every damn word. If anyone else tried though, I’d use those same knitting sticks to ensure they wore their intestines as a scarf.
“It’s not critical for me to learn how to drive,” I reminded her, my voice rougher than I intended. “Firstly, I can fly much faster than any car. Secondly, there’s no shortage of shifters in our pack who can drift around a fucking corner.”
Emme’s lips twitched, and my beast calmed when a brief peal of laughter escaped her. After all of her sadness, that light, delicatesound had me desperate to hear more. My life wasn’t one for light, and she was a miracle I never expected. I’d kill my former alpha, Fletcher, a million times over if that meant having Emme laugh just once.
“One day, when you race on the track with us all, you’ll understand why we love to drive. Not only is it fun, we’re competitive as fuck. Kellan always wins, but there will come a time when someone knocks him off his pedestal.”
“I could kick his ass without even trying,” I decided.
Confidence went hand in hand with being a dragon, and if I wanted to beat him, I would.
Emme patted my arm and every part of my body stood to attention, eager for more. “Of that, I have no doubt. But don’t underestimate our Golden. He drives like a shifter with a death wish, and Slade hasn’t bested him yet.”
Kellan, the otherlight onein our pack. I’d never met an alpha like him before. My dragon was torn between enjoying his banter and wanting to punch him in the teeth.
Still, he was pack, which made him ours.
“Okay, show me what to do,” I said, facing forward, feeling the stare of the entitled alpha and my twin. Outside of the engine revs, both showed surprising patience, but we could only push them so far.
