You are mine.I hated that possessiveness, and yet something about it felt so right. “If I hadn’t, Silas would have claimed you and probably killed you for embarrassing him in front of his pack like that.”
I winced, remembering shooting Silas five times in the chest.
“Well…” I cleared my throat. “Thanks for that.”
He nodded, watching me with an unreadable expression.
“Who is the Amarok?” I dared to ask. “Like a Fae Lord?”
Brayden shook his head. “He’s half wolf, half fae. A very rare combination not usually possible. He’s the judge, jury, and executioner for our people since we no longer have a king.” A frown pulled at his lips and his eyes looked distant as he no doubt went into his memories. I was realizing there was a lot more to Brayden and his sister than I had originally thought.
My mind was all over the place. I was a freaking werewolf now and vampires were real. There were some big baddies named Fae Lords, and in a month Brayden would fight to get his sister and pack back. And on top of all of that, this dude Silas was after me but we needed to see some wolf-fae judge.
I needed a nap.
“What happens if you lose again?” I said suddenly. “Would I go to Silas’ pack?”
His fist slammed down on the table, making me jump, and every single diner looked our way. “Iwon’tlose.” His eyes flared yellow.
Okay, note to self: talking about the Wolf Tournament was a trigger.
I swallowed hard, staring at him with fear. Talk about emotionally unstable.
He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, you touched a nerve.”
I just nodded. I was catching on that werewolf personalities were temperamental.
I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “Are you sure there is no way to kill him before the tournament?”
He shook his head. “I’ve seen every powerful witch in existence. None of them can shield me from the counter curse that would kill me upon Silas’ death.”
I scoffed. “So you and Maddy have been picked on this entire year but you can’t fight back?”
He gazed at me with an appearance of complete exhaustion, but even with tired eyes and a waning spirit, he looked utterly adorable. “The Fae Lords are as cruel as they are unforgiving.”
I hoped I never met them. Ever.
“What if you refuse to fight, just end this whole nonsense?” I asked.
He looked at me like I was five years old and had just asked a question about Santa Claus.
“I can’t do that,” was all he said.
“So only two packs fight? You and Silas, Silas and you, every year?”
He nodded. “There are hundreds of packs under the Fae Lords’ power, but they like to torture me specifically, and Silas is the only one who can match my power.”
Wow. So all the other packs were off scot-free. Some kind of reward you get for being strong and powerful. “The Fae Lords sound like douchebags,” I said, and he stiffened, looking around the room as if they might materialize and kill me for saying such things.
“This month might be rough on us, but I’ll win my pack back and then you can go on with your life. My goal as alpha is to support whatever dreams you have and make this life more of a blessing than a curse to you,” he said sincerely.
I wasn’t prepared for the kindness of what he’d just said. He wanted me to follow my dreams and not have the fact that I could shift into an animal impact me negatively? It was sweet.
“How will having me and Maddy at the fight help you?” I asked. He’d said he would use our power, but now I wonderedhow. I hope he didn’t think I was fighting. I was decent with a gun, but not some prized boxer or anything.
Brayden nodded. “The Fae Lords have a pair of linked dragon bone rings. The rings have powerful magic in them that the wearer can pull power from their pack or a group of people.”
Whoa. So Brayden would wear a ring and suddenlypullMaddy and my power? I probably had the wolf power of a chihuahua, but if it helped I was willing to try.
