The Alpha's Mage

by Claire Cullen

  “You look good in my bed.”

  Knox’s voice brought him back to earth with a jolt. The alpha stood in the doorway, balancing a dish in each hand. On some level, Lorcan thought he should have been ashamed of what they’d done the previous night. But the emotion didn’t come. He felt only a bone-deep satisfaction that he wanted to cling to for as long as possible.

  “Is that breakfast?”

  “Yeah. We worked up an appetite last night, didn’t we?”

  The grin on Knox’s face didn’t waver as he crossed the room and handed over the bowl—oatmeal with berries. In contrast, Knox’s plate had bacon, sausage, toast, and eggs. He looked between their dishes, the smell of fried food making his stomach rumble.

  “What, did they run out of bacon?”

  The pause was awkward. Knox looked embarrassed, and then almost angry.

  “When there’s not enough to go around, the alphas get the protein.”

  Enough for the whole pack was a lot of bacon. It made sense to save it for their strongest. Still…

  He reached over and snagged a piece, watching to see Knox’s reaction. The alpha caught his wrist, holding it firmly, and guided the stolen piece of bacon to his own mouth before letting go. Lorcan didn’t pout, but it was a close thing as he swirled his spoon around his bowl, mixing the berries into the oats.

  Something nudged against his mouth a moment later. He glanced up at Knox, parting his lips for the piece of bacon the alpha offered him. The salty taste exploded across his tongue as he chewed and swallowed. When Knox offered him a second piece, he refused.

  “You need it more than I do. Besides, I like oatmeal.” Especially with fresh blueberries, which it seemed the pack had in abundance right then.

  He wanted to bask in the look of approval on Knox’s face. He had to remind himself that he was just playing along, doing all this so that when the time came, he’d be able to make his escape.

  Knox was paying more attention to Lorcan than to his breakfast. “You feel it, right? The bond? I’m not imagining it?”

  Lorcan could feel it, weak but present, like a thin rope tying them together. Just as it had been with Colt.

  “Yeah, I feel it.”

  Knox brushed a hand down his back, and the bond flared to life, warm and alive. Who was he kidding? This was nothing like his bond with Colt.

  They finished their breakfast, with Knox saving him the last piece of bacon and insisting that he eat it. The alpha took their plates and set them aside, crouching in front of Lorcan.

  “I know this isn’t fair, seeing as you’ve only been here a few days, but now that we’ve got a bond going, the pack needs your help.”

  Lorcan chewed and swallowed, the bacon tasting off all of a sudden.

  “Help with what?”

  Knox pushed to his feet. “I’ll show you.”

  “Um, I’m not really fit to go anywhere until I have a shower,” Lorcan pointed out awkwardly.

  He dimly recalled Knox running a damp washcloth across his skin before they slept but that was far from enough to counter days’ worth of sweat and dirt.

  Knox rocked to a stop. “Uh, sure. Shower’s outside. Soap’s in the tin on the shelf next to it. You go clean up. I’ll find you a towel. And something else to wear.”

  The alpha was gone before Lorcan got the chance to reply. He wandered out after him, trying to remember if he’d seen a shower out there. Grumbling under his breath, he circled the hut slowly. When he saw it, he groaned. As showers went, it was… primitive. A tank on the roof to collect rainwater and a pipe leading to a showerhead. There wasn’t even a screen. He had to stand on his tiptoes to turn on the tap, wincing when cold water dripped down on him. No. No way.

  When Knox returned, carrying a bundle of cloth, Lorcan was leaning against the wall of the hut, his arms crossed.

  “What?” the alpha asked.

  “That is not a shower.”

  Knox glanced at the shower and back at him. “Yes, it is.”

  “Falling water isn’t a shower. Showers have screens and privacy and hot water.”

  The alpha leveled him with a look. “We don’t have time for this. There’s water. Get clean. Or don’t and let’s get going.”

  He wanted to fight the ultimatum but this wasn’t an argument he was going to win.

  “Fine. Turn around.”

  Knox raised an eyebrow. “You have nothing I haven’t seen.”

  Lorcan threw up his hands and turned his back, reaching up to twist the tap. The water wasn’t any warmer the second time around, but he grimaced and got on with it. He was just rinsing off the soap, shivering under the cold spray, when he sensed Knox move closer.

  “You’re cold.”

  “At least I’m clean.”

  Knox reached past him to shut off the water, brushing against his back as he did. At some point, the alpha had lost his shirt, bare skin touching his. The bond flared to life again, stealing his breath away. The alpha’s arms slid around him, heat chasing off the chill. Lorcan let himself bask in it, just for a little while.

  It didn’t take long for Knox to grow impatient, pressing a long, lingering kiss to the back of Lorcan’s neck as he eased away. Lorcan took a moment to catch his breath, reluctantly turning to face the alpha. Knox held out a towel.

  “Time to get to work.”

  Minutes later, dried and dressed in borrowed clothes, Lorcan traipsed through the trees after Knox. He suspected they were going back to the place in the boundary where Knox had spent so much time the day before.

  “What’s wrong with the boundary?”

  Knox glanced his way. “You can feel it? The break?”

  “No, but… it’s hardly a leap, is it? You’re the pack’s watcher, and something was obviously wrong yesterday. Something you need my help with…”

  Damn it.

  “So that’s what last night was about, huh? Couldn’t wait the few days for my bite to heal, so you decided to find another way?”

  Was it wrong that he felt cheated? He had planned to get close to Knox, to distract him so he could find a way to make his magic work against him. That, and he had thoroughly enjoyed what they’d done together. Why were feelings so illogical?

  “No, it wasn’t…” Knox petered off with a growl of frustration. “I wanted you. I just… needed you, too.”

  So Lorcan wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t right, either.

  “I guess you’d better let me see what the problem is. You know I was only in training, right?”

  “I know,” Knox said sharply.

  “Okay. I’m just trying to lower your expectations. If you’re anticipating miracles, you need to find yourself another mage.”

  Knox grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and shoved him against the broad trunk of a conveniently placed tree.

  “You are my mage.” Dark eyes searched his, Knox’s gaze intent on his face. His hand was fisted in Lorcan’s shirt, knuckles pressed tight to his chest.

  Lorcan had heard that wolves were possessive, but Colt had never shown any sign of that around him. Whereas Knox felt like the Earth to Lorcan’s moon; a constant push and pull between them.

  “I just meant… don’t get pissed off if I can’t help the way you’re imagining I can.”

  Knox tilted his head to the side, his gaze curious. “You’ve got power. We’ve seen it.”

  Lorcan quietly cursed the fact that his first escape attempt had failed. Now they had expectations they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

  “That was dumb luck. You’d be surprised what you can do when you’re that desperate.”

  He was taken aback when Knox released his tight grip to pat him on the shoulder.

  “It’s only a small problem, Lorcan. You’ll do fine.”

  Two wolves stood guard at the site they’d visited the day before. This time around, Lorcan could sense the problem. Before, he’d only had a vague awareness of the magic that made up the boundary. Now he could clearly feel the power running through it. T
here was a gap—a break—in the magic that enveloped the pack. It didn’t feel natural; too clean, too precise. The magic hadn’t just failed. Something had sliced right through it.

  “Oh.”

  “You feel it?”

  Lorcan ignored Knox’s question as he cautiously approached the gap, using his senses to learn as much as he could. He wished he’d been able to see it the day before, when the break was fresher. If he had, he might have gotten more of a magic signature from it, maybe even been able to tell just who or what had tried to break in.

  He stretched out his hands—palms out, fingers spread—stroking the magic of the boundary. A day ago, the most he could tell was that there was a boundary. Now, not only could he feel it, every woven strand of magic, he could even see it. It appeared like a shimmer in the air, as if he was looking at the world through a bubble. The view was clear but with that little rainbow of color tinting it.

  “Did you find whoever did it?”

  Knox was suddenly at his back, a hand on his shoulder, his voice low.

  “What did you say?”

  Lorcan repeated the question, speaking softly. “Did you find whoever broke the boundary?”

  “The magic failed. Orion does his best, but—”

  He was already shaking his head, knowing the wolf was wrong.

  “When sections of a magical barrier fail, the edges soften and blur. These… these are sharp, Knox. Like something cut through them.”

  The wolf’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Knox cursed under his breath. He put an arm around Lorcan, high across his chest, and drew him back against him. With his mouth pressed to Lorcan’s ear, hot breath tickling the sensitive skin, he spoke.

  “When we found it yesterday morning, it was clear something had been out there. I assumed it had found the gap by chance. Whoever or whatever it was, it hid its tracks well. Not enough to hide its presence, but enough to shroud its identity. But why break through the boundary and not come inside?”

  “Maybe… maybe they didn’t?” Lorcan suggested hesitantly.

  “Didn’t what?”

  “The boundary wouldn’t have fallen easily. Maybe they did the damage, and the section collapsed after they left. They might have intended to return but you had it under guard by then.”

  “Maybe. In that case, they might still be nearby. Waiting for an opportunity to strike.”

  “Or watching to see what you do.”

  Though Lorcan wasn’t supposed to want to help these wolves, he couldn’t stop his mind from running through the possibilities. Especially since Knox was the first person in months to actually listen to him and not dismiss everything he said out of hand.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If something is testing your pack’s strength, they might have taken down a section of your boundary on purpose to see what you do. You know, how long it takes you to find and fix it, how many wolves you leave guarding it, whether you patrol both in and outside the barrier…”

  Knox’s nose was suddenly buried against Lorcan’s neck, his arm tightening around him. After a long moment, the alpha let go and stepped back.

  “I need to talk to Gage and Declan.”

  Lorcan spun around to face him.

  “Declan’s your hunter, right?” He was starting to figure out who was who, though he wouldn’t be able to pick the alpha out of a crowd.

  “Uh-huh. Might need him and his betas to go out hunting tonight. I’ll see what Gage says.”

  “And me?” It didn’t sound like he was going with Knox.

  “What do you need to fix the barrier?”

  “Uh…”

  That was a loaded question. If he admitted to being a druid, he’d need very different supplies than he needed for sorcerer magic. Besides, he wasn’t even sure druid magic would work on a boundary like this one. This was surely a perfect opportunity to prove that he was useless to the pack. All he had to do was exactly what Maken Pack had taught him to. He didn’t have to fake being bad at sorcerer magic—being raised as a druid, that stuff didn’t come naturally to him.

  “Come on, Lorcan. It can’t be that hard. You were doing it for Maken Pack. I can ask Orion if you’re really stuck…”

  The last thing Lorcan wanted was one of the pack’s other mages paying attention to him. Even though Orion was old and frail, that didn’t mean he wasn’t sharp enough to see some truths about Lorcan that he’d rather keep to himself.

  “…Flint, obsidian, turmeric root, belladonna, and something with a base metal of iron.”

  Knox glanced at the wolf to his left. “You get all that, Josie?”

  The wolf tossed her head and took off through the trees.

  “She’ll get you what you need. I’ll be back later.”

  “Knox…”

  He wanted to impress on the alpha again just how bad he was since it might ward off the wolf’s wrath later.

  “Just try your best, Lorcan. That’s all I ask.”

  Knox cupped his cheek with one calloused palm and kissed him, not letting go until Lorcan yielded to him, parting his lips and letting the alpha taste him. When they finally broke apart, he was breathing hard, his whole body tingling, craving more of the alpha who was already walking away.

  8

  Knox was ready to hit Declan. Ready to punch his smug, arrogant face. Only the fact that Gage was standing between the two of them, his arms crossed and looking more pissed off than usual, kept his anger at bay.

  “I don’t care what your new boy toy thinks, Knox. There’s nothing out there.”

  “Something was out there,” Knox snarled. “The boundary didn’t fall by itself.”

  Declan shrugged one shoulder and looked away. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Orion’s barely keeping it up as it is.”

  “Lorcan says it’s too precise. Clean edges. Like something cut through the magic.”

  “It might suit your runaway mage to have us all running around chasing our tails at his behest.”

  “Gage…”

  Maybe the alpha could talk some sense into Declan.

  “Regardless of whether the collapse of the barrier was purposeful or accidental, it’s worth taking your betas out, Declan.”

  “They need to save their energy for actual hunts. Not racing in circles, chasing ghosts.” Declan shot a pointed look Knox’s way.

  “As much as I want to agree with you, this is the pack’s safety we’re talking about. We can’t afford to ignore a potential danger. Not after Joel.”

  Just the name was enough to spark an image in Knox’s mind. An image he wanted to banish forever from his memory. Instead, he forced himself to confront it, to see his failures clearly. He placed the guilt he’d carry for the rest of his days squarely on his own shoulders.

  “Fine.” Declan strode toward the door, not looking back. “But don’t blame me if we’re on the verge of starving in a month’s time. My hunters can’t search, fight, and scavenge with nothing to fill their bellies.”

  “Declan,” Gage called after him, but he was already gone.

  “Are the food stores that bad?” Knox asked.

  “We’re running low.” The ‘again’ went unspoken, like so much in the pack these days.

  “But the business…”

  “…is having a lean month.”

  A pack with one ailing mage didn’t have a lot of options where work was concerned. They had no one to represent them among the magic world, no one to vouch for them. They’d been trying for years to get into the protection business, a common trade for werewolves. But between competition from Maken Pack and their dismal reputation, it was an uphill struggle. The scrapyard was the only success they’d ever had. Even then, for every good month, it seemed like they had twice as many bad.

  Gage scrubbed a hand roughly across his face, and Knox took a closer look at him. Sometimes he forgot that Gage was only a few years older. The weight of pack leadership on his shoulders had added
years to his face. Or maybe it was just that it had been several days since Gage had last shaved.

  Wanting to take some of the burden off the alpha’s shoulders, he told him about Lorcan.

  “Our new mage is fixing the boundary as we speak.”

  Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. Lorcan had said he’d try to fix the boundary. But that at least meant there was a chance. Their only other option was to wait until the next full moon to see if Orion could manage it.

  Gage’s gaze turned calculating.

  “Then you and he…”

  “We just did what felt natural.”

  Hell, nothing in Knox’s life had ever felt as right as when he set his hands on Lorcan. Every touch, every taste…

  “Be careful, Knox. It’s only been two days. From where he stands, we’ve stolen him from his rightful pack, and we’re holding him prisoner.”

  “You can’t tell me Maken is any mage’s rightful pack. Besides, they were training him. He hadn’t been there long.”

  “But he agreed to go there, to be their mage. We didn’t exactly give him a choice in his relocation.”

  Knox wasn’t going to sit around and argue semantics. He had stolen Lorcan away from Maken Pack. If they ever found out, there’d be blood spilled. But…

  “Our need was greater than theirs.” That was his argument, and he was sticking to it. The survival of their whole pack depended on the presence of a mage. He’d brought them one. End of story.

  “That’s not an excuse.”

  “It is in my book.”

  “All the same, I want you by Lorcan’s side while he works on the boundary. If he pulls the same stunt he did the other night, he’ll be gone before we know it.”

  Alongside leaving two betas to watch over the mage, Knox had taken the precaution of removing the amulet whose magic he suspected Lorcan of inverting to hide from them while he escaped. That should keep him from doing anything stupid, long enough for Knox to convince him that he was right where he needed to be. If he hadn’t already convinced the mage of that.

  Knox was a patient guy, all things considered. His role as pack watcher meant he had to be. But after three days of watching Lorcan mess around with flint and bits of metal and wood, the hole in the boundary didn’t appear to have gotten any smaller. All Lorcan had for his troubles were dozens of tiny nicks on his fingers and palms.