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Levi eases her fingers loose from his shirt and brings her hand to his lips. He kisses the back of it. “That’s up to Mother Fate.”

She sniffles. “I knew… I mean…” She looks up at her father. “This is why you refused to take the alpha position back.”

Levi nods with nothing but love in his scent. “Jacob is a strong, just alpha, and soon Jonathan will run the pack. I just want to enjoy what I have left in this world with your mother. And you too.” He leans in and kisses her forehead, then meets my eyes. “And I needed to know the dragon who gets my daughter can stand up to an old wolf. I won’t always be here to do it.”

Gabriel and Kane gather up the tool bags. “We’ve got him,” Gabriel promises Aya.

Aya turns to me with tears in her eyes. My dragon wants her in my arms, but I step back to give them room.

She mouths thank you at me and pulls her father’s arm over her shoulder. “Bring the truck next time,” she hisses at her uncles. Kane grunts his agreement.

“Aya, no—” Levi protests.

“No, you stop, Dad,” she snaps. “I’m walking you home. I’ll run back.”

Her father waits on my answer. She’s my mate now, and the old wolf knows it’s my call. I don’t want her out of my sight, but I nod to Levi. “Hurry back, Aya, or I’ll come get you myself.”

I turn around and walk off. Since Aya’s busy, now’s the perfect time to pay Charity a visit. She needs to understand who my mate belongs to. The bullying ends tonight. I push my wings out and launch myself up and out of the Ash Clan village.

I climb until the wind turns cold and the cabins shrink beneath me. Porch lights click on over families dragging their chairs out to the fire pits. My wings ache at the roots, but my dragon doesn’t care. He rides every stroke, drunk on the storm and itching to show off.

I bank west, away from the clan. The forest thins out until the community lands open up below, rows of starter cabins with their windows glowing. I pass over the place Aaron handed down to us, where I know my boxes are stacked inside the door. Aya’s scent still clings to the yard.

Charity’s coven sits on the far side of the community lands. Everything is quiet there tonight. Their magic prickles over my skin from a good way out. I tuck in and drop over the rooftops, then flare hard to set myself down in their village.

My bare feet touch down in cool grass. I pull my wings in and lift my nose. Charity’s scent is everywhere here, but it’s strongest out back. I follow it past the houses to a shed tucked against the trees. Light leaks around the edges of the door. I sneeze smoke in the thick of their magic. Under it, I pick out her friends too. This must be where she and her minions gather.

I stay behind a tree and wait for them to come out. My dragon pushes me to kick the door in, but I only want to talk to her. Charity needs to know I’m not going to stand for her terrorizing my mate, and I can say that without setting a single thing on fire.

“This is an interesting spot to watch the stars,” a voice drawls beside me.

I jerk my head to the right. I didn’t even scent him coming. Josiah leans against the next tree over in his sheriff’s department uniform with his red eyes gleaming in the dark. He talks more than anyone on this island, but he moves without making a sound.

“Shit!” I hiss at him. “What are you doing here?”

Josiah pushes off the tree and strolls up to me. “Oh, nothing.” He shrugs. “Finishing up my patrols, and I thought it was interesting when I saw you land in a territory you have no business in.” He raises an eyebrow. “Witches?”

I narrow my eyes. Be so for real right now. “I’m only going to talk to her.”

Josiah grins and peers over at the shed where the young witches are gathered. “As my healthy habits book says in chapter four,” he muses, “‘Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is remove what no longer serves us.’”

I gape at him. “What?”

Josiah’s grin drops, and he turns back to me, dead serious. “Show them who you are.”

I’ve heard him say that before. The last time was when the Mer pulled Aya under and I was damn near begging him for a way to get her back. I showed them exactly who I was that day, and it worked.

The lights in the shed go out. When the door creaks open, Charity and her friends ease out into the dark, still laughing over whatever they were doing in there. This is my cue to leave. I know that’s the right thing to do, but for some reason I can’t make myself go. I stay planted behind the tree while my dragon snarls at her scent. Beside me, Josiah stands back and watches.

They giggle across the yard. Charity tosses her ponytail over her shoulder and waves at them. “See you at the spa this weekend, Brielle. Simone.”

Her friends open portals and step through to go their separate ways. When the last one snaps shut, Charity hums to herself and heads for her family’s house. She doesn’t make it far before she stops. She turns to stare at the forest with her witchy instincts kicking in. Suspicion sharpens her scent.

I glance at Josiah, who’s having the time of his life. He props himself on his tree again and crosses his ankles like he’s got nowhere better to be tonight.

“I just want to talk to her,” I mutter.

Josiah flashes his fangs at me. “Sure you do.”