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Draven led me outside and down a steep path on the side of the mountain, and several birds left their tree branches to fly around my head, chirping and singing, something that happened often. Sadly, I didn’t have any birdseed with me. It was in my other jacket.

Draven glanced over and frowned at their antics, and I resisted the urge to explain it. It’d probably only anger him more.

There were several vehicles parked down here, and he opened the door to one of the trucks. I climbed in and plugged my phone into the charger already there as he started the engine. “My car’s on the other side of the forest.”

He grunted, put the truck in drive, and we headed down the rough dirt road, heading back to civilization.

Draven

Iris’s phone started beeping a few minutes after she’d plugged it in, alerting her to all her messages and texts. Her family.

Christ, I hadn’t even thought about her car, so focused on my revenge. It was parked on the other side of Oldwood Forest. Eventually, they would have figured out where she’d been taken. The hounds were the best trackers around. I’d acted recklessly and risked my entire pack. How could I have done that? After everything they’d already been through. After everything we’d already lost.

I glanced at the little witch beside me. I didn’t know what she planned to tell her people, but I was prepared to face the consequences of what I’d done. If that included trouble with the hellhounds or her coven, I’d make sure it fell on my shoulders and mine alone. My pack would not be touched by another one of my fuckups. I gripped the wheel tighter. The anger was still there, shit, even more so than before. I felt like I was being torn in two. My wolf, every one of my animal instincts, fought with me to get closer to the female at my side.

Every part of me recognized who she was now—there was no denying it—and I wanted to roar at the injustice. All those years trapped, my warriors and I had been forced to accept that some of us would miss our chance to ever connect with our mates. They’d be out there waiting, and we wouldn’t be able to reach them. I assumed I was one of them. I never dreamed she was still out there.

I’d hoped, though, in a deep, needy part of me, I had hoped.

And she was.

She was sitting right next to me, and the idea of claiming her made me sick to my fucking stomach. I’d seen the birds flock to her, the way she communicated with her dog. Witches couldn’t be trusted, and I sure as hell would never be able to trust Iris. Not only did she look like Selene, but she had the same power as Charity. No, I could never, would never, accept her.

The lust riding me, the curl of rightness in my gut, the stiffness of my cock disgusted me. My body wanted her, my wolf howled for her, and my mind raged against all of it.

Her scent filled the cab, and I bit back the growl of hunger crawling up my throat, then cracked open the fucking window. I didn’t want her scent in my lungs, all it did was drive me closer to insanity.

She still held her phone in those delicate little hands, hands that I’d dreamed of having on me, of touching my bare skin too many times—then I’d wake, hard and drenched in sweat, forced to work out the burning lust with my eyes screwed shut and my dick wrapped in my fist. Fuck. I tore my gaze away as she tapped at the phone and lifted it to her ear.

“Iris!” a voice yelled down the line.

It wasn’t on speaker, but with my hearing, I could hear every word.

“I’m okay, Mom.”

“Where are you? Magnolia and Bram have been out all morning looking for you. They just found your car outside Oldwood Forest. Wills and Warrick are on their way there.”

“I’m heading back now. You can call them off.”

“Else, call Willow and Mags. Iris is on her way home…what happened, sweetheart? Were you summoned? Is that what happened?”

“Yes, but I’m fine—”

“Oh my goddess. Is someone driving you?”

“Yes. I’ll explain when I get there.”

“She’s got a ride,” her mother called to someone again. “Tell Bram to drive her car home.”

“No, don’t do that. I’ll get my car,” Iris said.

“You’ll do no such thing. You’ll be in no condition to drive. No arguments. And you must be starving. I’ll make food.”

“Mom…”

“Pancakes and sausages. We’ll be waiting.”

“Hang on a minute…”