“Wolfe.” Just his name, not an accusation.
His eyes shone with tears, but he never faltered. His gaze cast over his pack as they began to wake.
“I will never use this power on you again, not like this. Forgive me.”
He released them from his Will. Cody was there to catch him if he stumbled. He didn’t.
With a weary sigh, Wolfe turned to the druid. “It is done. The pack is cleansed. The Hollow has embraced their daughter. She needs to be trained. The Goddess has spoken.”
He dropped his arm from me and stepped back. “I need to sleep. Cody?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Wolfe looked at the fallen shifters. “Burn them. No rites. No prayers. Blueridge Hollow does not accept traitors into its hearth.”
He walked away. Head down, shoulders slumped. So different from when he came down from the ridge this morning. A small body ran through the trees, coming to astop in front of him. I stepped forward on instinct, but Wolfe was still.
Lake looked up at his alpha, tears streaming down his face. Wolfe shook his head, rejecting him, and I watched the young boy step back with a sob.
My husband tilted his head up to the late afternoon sky. The boy shifted to his wolf form. He took a step forward, and I held my breath. Wolfe hesitated, and then his hand rested on the young wolf’s head. I watched them both as they walked away together.
“He heals the land,” the druid murmured beside me. “Before he sets to rip it apart with war.”
I turned to them. My mouth opened to object, but I couldn’t argue. Not this.
“Ah, for once, the Goddess grantsmea gift,” the druid said with a sly smile. “Finally, you are silent.”
I punched them on their arm. “What the hell just happened?” I demanded.
“A gift short-lived is still a gift,” they mumbled sulkily.
Cody and Brand were already lifting the bodies; our pack was around us, whispering and talking excitedly, but my attention was on the druid.
“I deserve to know.”
“I don’t think I know the answer,” the druid told me carefully as they began to walk away, and I had no choice but to follow. “I think the only one who knows is Wolfe. Even then, I don’t think he’d explain it very well.” They looked over their shoulder. “Twice he’s been touched by the Goddess.”
“He looks worse for it,” I snapped.
The druid half shrugged. “Effective though.”
We walked in silence as pack members filtered through the trees and on the paths, all looking like they’d just awoken from a long sleep. None looked pissed off or confused; they just looked…sleepy.
“He held us with his Will for around seven hours,” the druid told me quietly. “They look tired; imagine what your mate must be feeling.”
I stopped walking. “I should go to him.”
The druid shook their head. “His betas will be close. It is unlikely they will let you near him tonight. Their instincts will be to protect him.”
“I am his mate.”
“They’re his soldiers.” We’d arrived at the druid’s tent. “Come inside. You can tell me what happened, and if I can, I’ll try and make sense of it.”
I stood torn. I wanted to go in. I wanted to describe it to someone, anyone. But…I also wanted Wolfe.
“Wolfe?”
His voice was almost instant. “Talk to the druid. They know this better than I do.”
