CHAPTER 34
ABEL
The closer weget to Hawk Ridge, the more my stomach aches. The magic that burns in my veins marking me the heir pulls at me. My parents need to see that I’m no longer their puppet. They can’t marry me off to someone. Fate chose my mates and I trust Fate more than my parents. I have to brace myself for the names they’ll call me. For the hate they’ll spread. But I don’t care.
Buckle pulls into the gas station. There’s a black SUV I suspect belongs to the wolf pack. Buckle parks and we all get out. Even the occupants of the SUV.
All three have white hair. The tallest nods to the entrance of the gas station and we follow.
We follow through the gas station until we’re in an office in the back. There are three desks, one with three monitors. It seems more like an operations room than a gas station back office.
“Have a seat,” the taller one waves to the open chairs.
“Rather stand,” I say, even as my legs shake.
“I’m Jax,” the taller one says. “That’s Cal and Harry.” Jax points to the other two.
“He/him for all of us.”
Perry introduces us, then it’s my turn to explain the situation.
“Essentially, I’m the Kettle heir and I’m afraid my parents are going to try to marry me off to someone I don’t know.” Or worse, someone I know and hate.
Jax nods. “Hawk Ridge is archaic, and we’ve been watching them for years. Sounds like something they’d do. We can help.”
“There is the matter of getting into the compound, though,” Cal says.
Buckle snaps his head towards me. “Compound?”
Harry chuckles. “Hawk Ridge is basically a cult that thinks they’re run by royalty. It’s a huge compound with little chickadee’s parents running the show after they killedtheirparents. They probably shipped Abel off, thinking he’d kill them for power.”
“What?!” I pop back to my feet. “I’ve never even dreamed of it.”
Perry rubs his hand up my arm. “We know.”
My legs shake and I wrap my arms around myself. “I didn’t realize it was a cult until much later. They worship the sky and Alphas and Omegas, so the leaders having a single Beta child was the worse thing in their eyes.”
“Now,” Jax starts. “If they’re like other avian cults we’ve run into, the perimeter magic won’t let anyone not already connected to the place in.”
“I can’t go in alone.” I grab Buckle’s and Perry’s hands.
“You don’t have to,” Harry says. “We’ll each need a feather from you. It’ll mask us with your signature.”
“Feathers are...” I close my mouth. Feathers are sacred, is something my parents would have said. “I can give everyone a feather. I’ll shift and you can pluck them from me.”
Before I can change my mind, I shift. My clothes drift around me and I hop onto one of the desks. I should have told them where not to pluck, but it’ll be fine.
Jax tugs at one from my neck, and I shake when he gets it free. Not exactly the nicest feeling, but if it’ll get everyone in the compound, I don’t care. He plucks more and passes the feathers out.
I don’t really want to shift naked in front of everyone. Buckle tips his head to the door as if he reads my mind. The wolf pack leaves so I can shift and dress again. Perry lets the wolves back in while I shake in a chair.
“These should be good,” Cal says.
“What’s the plan, then?” Buckle asks.
Jax grins. “The three of you are going to do what you planned. Tell Abel’s parents he’s not theirs anymore, then leave. We’ll flank you and make sure no one comes after you. If they do.” All three give grins that can only be described as wolfish. “We’ll have a bit of fun.”
“What if they try something inside?” I ask. “We’ll have to go to the throne room.”
