by E Hall
The wolves, still in physical form, gasp in shock. Some clap lightly, a few cheer, and Avril storms away.
I take Kenna’s hand in mine. In the past, when we’ve performed this ceremony, the newbie often trembles or has clammy skin from nerves. It’s no small thing to face dozens of wolf shifters. Then they’re met with relief to know their places. Once they and the other wolves are secure in their positions, the mood shifts toward celebration.
Kenna is already confident, but also humble and merely smiles at the others as some of them welcome her and congratulate her.
There is no questioning her role, perhaps other than Avril, and even her wolf will eventually recognize and accept Kenna’s position as my Alpha mate.
“Pack Hjalmar, Kenna will be the first to shift and in turn, circling her this time, your wolf will recognize her position. Then we’ll run, followed by a feast in the lodge,” I announce.
It’s easily a fifty-fifty split between how much everyone loves running together and then the party after inducting a new wolf into the pack.
Kenna closes her eyes, summoning her wolf. In the amber glow of the blaze, I admire her slender neck and full lips before her skin gives way to a ripple of fur. The fire highlights the red tint. Her eyes are smoky-gray. They meet mine, and I give her a warm nod. My wolf claws its way to the surface, begging for release.
First, the other wolves, starting with the omega must greet her wolf. Toby is a white fringed wolf with a goofy smile. The rest circle her before waiting on the edge of the trail.
When it’s my turn to shift, my thoughts dissolve, leaving me feeling momentarily free. I open up the wolf-way of communicating, giving the others the go-ahead before closing it again. As Kenna and I bond and then seal, our private wolf-way of communicating will improve.
With Kenna beside me, I exhale. Part of me must have worried she wasn’t going to go through with it or her three forms of magic would prevent her.
As we run together, my shoulders relax. My neck unkinks.
Nearing the bluff, I close my eyes, casting around for my connection to Kenna. I feel her proximity like undulating waves, I smell her wolfy-cherry scent, and her blood, pumping through her veins is as true as my own.
Having her part of the pack fills a hollowness I didn’t realize existed inside—an emptiness that’s existed since I killed Logan.
She is meant to be in this pack, meant to be my mate. It goes beyond mere desire and attraction. It’s part of the fabric of our existence.
My thoughts flit to my former best friend, the time we tried to grow beards, the sound of his laughter, and the way we’d tease each other. But the distinct sound of his voice, the details of his expressions, and other aspects of his personality have faded. He’s gone forever, and it’s my fault.
Now that Kenna is Alpha, our wolves will want to make our true mates status public. Then what? What if I hurt her too? What if I can’t protect her? These and other thoughts chase me as I try to outrun them in the darkness.
The thunder of paws on the trail gets louder. No one is holding back as they race across the fields and toward the hills.
I glance over my shoulder. Kenna remains beside me. As much as I want her beside me at all times, I give her a cheerful bark, encouraging her to run with the others. The more her wolf is among them, the more they’ll accept her when in physical form.
My thoughts threaten to drift back to Logan and what I’ve lost. I gaze at the sky, a smooth canopy of stars surrounding the moon, guiding us as it always has.
The dry beige grass disappears as we climb. We scramble over boulders worn smooth by many paws and feet alike tramping through the area.
Kenna knocks me gently with her shoulder and rushes past. I yip. She gives me a teasing smile and takes off as though daring me to chase her. With pleasure.
I crest the bluff and run after her as the cool night air pumps through my lungs. Finally, I remember to forget my regrets. This freedom is what I live for.
We race around each other, nuzzling and tumbling. The others do much the same, playful, joyful, and free. The moon washes the conifers in dim white light, but it’s more than enough to see by.
We skirt familiar landmarks, postings to guide us while hiking during the day. Soon, Kenna will memorize this land just as we have, but by scents and textures. She runs ahead of me, a reddish streak through the canvas of silver-white birch trees, gleaming in the half-moon light.
When we get to a vista on the side of the mountain, Kenna pads over. She taps her muzzle against my chin. Our eyes meet. A silent understanding passes between us—the windswept landscape puts us both in grateful moods. There aren’t sufficient words, but we don’t need them. The wolf heart is enough. It’s moments like this, out here in the wild, that renews my drive to do right by my pack.
My wolf mate and co-alpha’s eyes go fuzzy. The wolf-static grows stronger, pulling on her. There was no mistake, she belongs in our pack despite the other forms of magic existing within her. I know what’s coming almost before Kenna does.
An almost-purple haze surrounds her as she knocks her head back and lifts her gaze toward the moon, before releasing one long, peeling howl.
My wolf joins Kenna and then the others take up. The sound echoes off the mountains, fills the valley, and my wolf heart with joy and pride.
When we fall silent, everyone descends the mountain, ready to feast. As we near the bluff again, the air holds itself steady without a whisper or gust.
My hackles lift. Something is wrong. Like the ripples from skipping stones, my pack senses the same disturbance. A chill runs across the tops of my shoulders. Tension tugs on my bones.
A wave of energy dowses me, thrusting me to the ground. I scramble for Kenna as a familiar and former member of my pack pounces, taking her down.
Deep snarling, menacing rage bellows out of me, but I’m somehow frozen. Locked in place.
Chapter 7
Kenna
Just when I was finally having fun and feeling like I belonged, Amanda appears out of nowhere, literally, shifts, and then pounces on me.
I’m familiar with her rotten scent and desire to destroy me so it should come as no shock. But the electricity that surges through my wolf, burning, struggling, and straining for release, but trapped beneath my fur, is entirely foreign as Amanda clamps down on my neck with her wolf teeth.
This strange magic threatens to explode inside of me, blowing me to bits. My wolf cannot withstand it. I shift back to physical form as a rush of magic pounds through me and out my fingertips. It lights up the woods.
The wolf pack looks on with menacing eyes and paw the earth. They’re ready to fight to kill.
By the charred trees, I am too, only I don’t know what I am right now. I’m no longer a wolf and have no thirst for blood. Did my fae burst free?
I’ve lost sight of my inner knowing. I’m untethered. Lost.
I glance around for Corbin who guided me through the ceremony, leading me to my inner Alpha.
Amanda growls, bringing my attention back to her. She lunges with her teeth bared. She nips me. My skin seers with pain. Almost against my will, magic surges from me. The wolf spins in the air and then slams against a tree trunk.
The Kenna part of me wants to shout apologies. Seeing the wolf thrown pains me, but my wolf reminds me it was defense. Still another voice tells me to destroy her. To batter her. To relish her bruises before ending her very breath.
Amanda shifts back to human form and gets to her feet. She shambles toward me, pointing her finger. I worry she’s going to blast me back then remember she probably doesn’t possess fae magic. “I promise I will kill you, mutt.” She bypasses me and scrambles around on the ground as if looking for something. Then pounces on me aggressively.
Stars that are brighter than the ones in the sky fill my vision. Then I realize it’s magic coming from my hands as I blast Amanda. Her body vibrates, glows, and then stiffens. She falls backward, her eyes empty. She’s gone. My wolf lets out an
internal and lamenting keen. That second voice inside me simpers a laugh. The fae?
Suddenly, I drop to the ground beside Amanda, landing on something soft and velvety.
As I pull it close like a blanket, the stars go dark.
I dream of the meadow with the wolf. He stands loyally by my side. His beautiful copper eyes blink with relief when mine land on his. The gray in his fur reminds me of the stars and the streaks of black are like a backdrop of the night sky. His chest rises and falls with a long sigh. Mine does the same. That must mean that I’m breathing. That I’m still alive.
The ground is solid beneath me when I open my eyes. The moon hangs in the sky, surrounded by stars the same as it did before I passed out. Several familiar faces look down on me with concern.
“Kenna,” Corbin breathes. “You’re okay. Your wound healed already.” Beads of sweat dot his forehead as he brushes my neck. “That was close.”
“What happened?” My pulse doubles.
“We’re wondering the same thing,” Inga says gently.
I slowly press to sitting and look around. “The ceremony and bonfire. The run. Amanda.” My stomach plunges. “Where is Amanda? Did I—?” My hand presses to my lips.
From the nearby shadows, several subordinates in physical form lift a lifeless Amanda into their arms.
I scramble after her. “No, no, no. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry—” Strong arms close around me. My eyes widen. “Corbin, what did I do?” I gasp for breath as tears bust loose.
He pulls me into his arms, and I draw a breath of his wolfy-woodsy-minty scent. Shaking, I press my face against the hard sureness of his chest.
He leads me back to his cottage behind the lodge. The buildings remind me of the ghost towns my mom and I once visited in Texas. For a split second, I feel like something integral inside of me faded and disappeared, leaving me empty.
Whereas a short time ago, I felt like I was thriving, full of life, albeit a bit confused, now I feel a void that threatens to consume me.
Corbin settles me on a cushy chair in front of the fireplace. He casts his hand toward it and like the bonfire, it blazes.
“Did being inducted into the pack cause me to be bloodthirsty?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize that term has a specific meaning in the magical world.
“No, I’m quite sure that was fae magic that you let loose. She attacked. You were defending yourself. It’s as simple as that. Because you’re tri-magical, there’s no knowing when your other magic will emerge.”
Shaken, I draw the blanket that I found beside me when I passed out closer around my shoulders. Loose threads reveal a long tear along the hem.
Corbin brings me a massive mug of tea. Steam drifts across the top. He sits on the arm of the chair and passes it to me. I drop the blanket from my fingers.
“Where did this cloak come from?” he asks, absently curling a piece of my hair through his fingers like a strip of silk.
“You mean this blanket?” I shrug.
“No, I mean cloak.” He carefully pulls it from my shoulders and holds it open between us.
Faint threads of silver shine from the otherwise red fabric. The hood hangs. Tales of the fae drift into my mind like the steam from the tea.
“I think this is a fae cloak. The other night, when Amanda appeared by my window, I mean just that. She appeared, like out of nowhere. Same thing in the woods earlier. Do you think this was hers?”
“Why would a wolf have a fae cloak?” Corbin’s eyebrows pinch together.
I shrug. “Somehow she got ahold of this.” I slide my fingers along the lower hem as a jolt rushes through me. I hold it up. “Look, it’s torn. Doesn’t it look like the ribbon of fabric that was wrapped around the diary?”
Corbin inspects it carefully. “Where would she have gotten this?” His brow creases. “At the same time that you were attacked, I was suddenly frozen. I thought maybe it was you. Fae magic can lock an enemy in place.”
I shake my head slowly. “I hardly knew what came over me, but no, I didn’t consciously stop you from coming to my aid. I did have a bit of awareness of what was going on. The magic was scalding, angry, almost venomous. Like, how dare she attack me? That’s the best I can explain it. But why was she was after me? I can admit that I have a mild understanding of jealousy, but trying to kill me because we’re mates is a bit extreme.”
Corbin nods. “There’s no arguing with fated mate status.”
“And yet she challenged me to the Mate Call-Out.”
He gazes toward the window as though trying to parse it out.
A loud knock comes from the door. Claude, Inga, and a few subordinates fill the entry. “Officials are here.”
Trigg stifles a laugh. “And a few young lone wolves.”
Corbin lifts an eyebrow.
“They’re looking for a certain female Alpha,” Trigg adds. “Back in the day they were called suitors.”
I shift uncomfortably in the chair.
The others barely conceal smiles and chuckles.
“It’s common for lesser wolves to pursue a new Alpha female. There aren’t that many of them,” Inga says as if it’s no big deal.
“I’m not interested,” I say careful not to insult the wolves in case it’s some kind of custom.
“Are the officials here about Amanda?” Corbin asks stiffly.
“No, there’s another casualty,” Inga says.
Claude’s attention lands on me. “That was intense, Kenna. I won’t sneak up on you in a dark forest.”
I try to laugh at the joke but can hardly bring a smile to my lips. “Are the police here to arrest me? I want to rewind, go back, and find out why Amanda was trying to kill me,” I blurt before my throat tightens.
“Let that sink in, Kenna. She was trying to kill you.” Corbin’s Scottish accent kicks the words toward me, hitting me hard with reality.
My head drops back against the chair. My voice barely rises above a whisper when I speak again. “What I did was inexcusable, but it was defense. A supernatural response to someone trying to kill me for the fourth? Fifth time? My wolf didn’t want to take it that far. Of all the magic within me, she seems the most humane, the most compassionate. But for some reason, the fae shook loose.” Tears dampen my eyes.
Corbin’s thumb brushes across my cheek. “I will take care of this.” He gets up to leave.
In the presence of the other wolves, my Alpha leads me to my feet. “I’m coming with you.”
“Technically, I can’t argue, but don’t you want to rest?” His eyes are only for me, pleading, tender, understanding.
But my inner fire won’t be drenched. “No, I’m also Alpha of this pack. I know I have a lot to learn—” I glance at the others. “But I have a responsibility to them too.”
We walk to the lodge and a police cruiser sits in the driveway.
The others fill us in. “There was Richard Dubois, the young man who washed up along the river, and now a hunter,” Claude says.
I recall the guys at the bakery.
“You know something like this has always been my worst nightmare,” Inga adds.
“We need to stop it,” a subordinate says.
“Some of the wolves are worried. They’re talking about leaving the pack so they’re not targeted by officials.”
An uneasy silence plays between us.
Corbin flashes me a brief, but withering look. I take it to be the plight of the Alpha. It’s not our role to keep everyone happy, but it is to keep them safe. Having a powerful pack can’t easy, especially when there’s trouble.
Nonetheless, whatever is happening goes beyond our pack. People with families and lives are gone. It hits me with a kind of sadness I’ve become too familiar with.
Corbin must feel the same way because he scrubs his hand through his brown hair. “If they ask you questions, answer. Otherwise, I’ll do the talking.”
I’m not sure how it works Alpha to Alpha, but I’ll definitely let him take the lead since I�
�m way out of my depth. I came because I want to know what’s going on, protect the pack if need be, or turn myself in if that’s why the officials are here.
Eyes trail me as I enter the building. The light is low in the entryway but bright in the kitchen where everyone gathers. Their eyes trail me as though torn between my pledge to the pack and the strangeness of what they witnessed in the woods.
The magic that pulses in my veins almost makes me feel like I do truly belong or at least not like I don’t. It’s a fine distinction, but I’ll show up now, bake them blueberry muffins later, and prove myself no matter what it takes.
The scents of grilled veggies and meat, taco fixings, garlicky hot sauce, melty cheese, and spicy salsa almost, but don’t quite, distract me from the smell of the human officials seated at the table, digging into our feast.
“This isn’t what I expected,” I say, confused.
Corbin winks and hands me a dinner plate. “Dish up.” He eyes the doorway where several subordinates sternly turn away guys. They’re lined up along the path. Suitors?
My eyes must bug out of my head. I hardly had so much as an invitation to prom. But my heart beats for none other than my fated mate. Still, it’s odd.
Corbin cuts them a glare and a growl.
“For the record, I’m not interested in anyone but you,” I tell Corbin.
My Alpha smiles and drags me against him. “Good. I’ll make sure they get lost.” His eyes narrow and his jaw ticks...and I kind of like it.
Chapter 8
Corbin
It’s not uncommon for the officials to pop in, find us feasting, and join the meal. I imagine it’s an unexpected sight for Kenna who was expecting the officers to come down hard, interrogate us, and send us all to jail.
For better or worse, they know about the pack and our role. We look after the land, the visitors, and each other.
I ignore Kenna’s suitors. For now.
“Hi, Clint,” I say as I take a seat beside the chief officer who has a full head of salt and pepper hair and a very full beard to match.
