The Alpha's Mage

by Claire Cullen

  No, no. He was getting too caught up in things. What he needed was to get out of there and get home. Wasn’t it? Home to his family, to safety, to the company of other druids. Not cursed to be enslaved as a mage for some wild pack.

  “He smells different.”

  Lorcan flicked his eyes up and jerked back a step. While he’d been distracted with his thoughts, the men and wolves had surrounded him.

  “What?”

  “You smell like magic,” the oil-stained guy said, pressing into his space. “Power.”

  “Oh.” Lorcan took another step backwards, jumping when his leg brushed against the fur of a wolf standing behind him. “Well, I am a mage, like you said. Knox’s mage. So maybe you guys could back off and give me some room?”

  His polite request didn’t deter them, and they drew nearer. Instinct had Lorcan reaching for his druid power, readying himself, when a growl rent the air. The wolves around him scattered, the men backing away, glancing toward the cabin. Knox stood there, and next to him was the wolf he’d warned Lorcan to keep his distance from. Barrett.

  “Leave him be,” Barrett growled as Knox stalked across the yard toward them.

  The wolves scrambled out of Knox’s path as he walked straight to Lorcan, circling him once before pulling Lorcan to him and running the palm of one hand possessively down Lorcan’s body.

  “He’s claimed. No one touches him.”

  There was something in Knox’s voice. More than anger or volume—a quality that Lorcan couldn’t describe. It made every wolf except Barrett cower and whine. Knox’s hand slipped behind Lorcan’s neck and drew him in for a kiss. He felt the rough press of Knox’s lips to his, the alpha’s tongue plundering his mouth. It was less an embrace and more like the wolf was capturing his mouth, possessing him. Staking his claim.

  Knox pulled back with a growl, his forehead pressed to Lorcan’s.

  “You’re mine.”

  Tired of being pushed away and pulled back, Lorcan snapped.

  “Am I?”

  He yanked himself out of Knox’s grip, turned on his heel, and stalked away, back through the towering piles of scrap. A low curse was followed by the thud of footsteps as the wolf came after him. Knox didn’t even try to catch up until they were out of sight of the yard. Then the wolf picked up the pace, caught Lorcan by the elbow, and spun him around.

  “Talk.”

  With a yell of frustration, he tore his arm from Knox’s grasp. “Leave me alone.”

  “I can’t. You’re mine.”

  “You don’t need me. You need a mage who can fix your stupid boundary. You said it yourself—a mage will complete you. But that mage isn’t me, is it?” He should have been relieved by that, not heartbroken.

  Knox didn’t deny it. He took two steps back, rubbing his hands on his jeans.

  “I… don’t know.”

  It was unsettling to see the wolf uncertain about something. He normally possessed an overabundance of confidence, especially where Lorcan was concerned.

  “Then this whole tour thing, me getting to know the pack… what’s that about?”

  “You don’t want to go back to Maken Pack, and our pack needs mages. I’m just one alpha of many. Maybe…”

  Knox didn’t finish, and Lorcan was glad of it. His hands curled into fists, and he had to force his anger down before he decked the alpha.

  “I’m not some trinket you can pass around your pack. I’m yours, or I’m no one’s. And right now, I’d prefer to be no one’s.”

  This time, when he walked away, Knox let him go. When Lorcan heard a strange sound behind him, he turned back to find Knox in his wolf form, his clothes falling in tatters on the ground as he shook them off. The wolf padded over, staring up at him.

  Lorcan scrubbed a hand across his eyes, shoving away the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

  “This is a mess. I just want to go home.”

  But even if he could go home, how long would it last? How long until the Warrens came back to get him? As long as he was an unbonded mage, he was a valuable commodity. His sorcerer relations wouldn’t give that up. They sought power and influence, and mages were one way to get that. His family was right—it was a curse.

  Knox barked sharply and took off back toward the boundary. Lorcan trailed after him, barely noticing where they were going until they were in front of Knox’s hut. Knox slipped inside, returning a few minutes later in human form, tugging a worn pair of jeans up his hips and fastening them. Lorcan was distracted by the trail of dark hair disappearing downward.

  “At this rate, I’ll have no clothes left,” Knox said with a snort.

  “Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

  Lorcan flushed when Knox glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. The wolf smirked and walked past him, calling over his shoulder. “Keep up.”

  Following behind Knox somehow made it worse as he watched the way the wolf’s jeans clung to his body. Lorcan tried to keep his eyes on where he was walking and not on Knox’s ass. Especially since he suspected Knox was very aware of the effect he was having.

  “Where are we going?” he asked after a while. He didn’t recognize the path they were following.

  “The nursery.”

  “Nursery?”

  “Where the pack’s cubs spend most of their time.”

  Come to think of it, Lorcan hadn’t seen many kids since he’d arrived at the pack. He’d caught glimpses of cubs near the pack house and the kitchen once or twice.

  “Does your pack have a lot of kids?”

  “Not as many as we should,” Knox muttered darkly.

  Lorcan left that alone, looking around with interest. As far as he could tell, they weren’t all that far from the center of the pack. That made sense. You’d keep the most vulnerable where they’d be safest.

  He heard the yips and barks before he saw the cubs. Knox stopped walking, and Lorcan stepped up to stand beside him. There was a hut with the doors thrown open and a section marked out with wooden logs, like a play area. Within it were a dozen cubs of various sizes—playing, chasing each other, yipping excitedly. Knox climbed inside and the cubs surrounded him, climbing all over him.

  “They’re happy to see you,” a voice called. “And they’re not the only ones.”

  A woman appeared at the entrance to the hut, leaning against the door jamb, her arms folded. “Long time no see, Knox.”

  “Been busy.”

  The woman’s eyes fell on Lorcan.

  “I can see that.”

  She pushed away from the wall and stalked forward, walking right up to Knox. The cubs moved out of the way, and she stepped into his space, grabbing hold of a belt loop and tugging him forward.

  Lorcan’s heart began to race, his hands clenching into fists. This was Colt all over again. Was this Knox’s girlfriend, his real love, with Lorcan just the convenient source of magic he kept on tap?

  Knox wrapped his arms around her, and Lorcan tensed, desperate not to see but unable to tear his eyes away.

  “How’re the kids?” Knox asked.

  “Keeping me busy, as always. Lennon’s turning into quite the little tracker. Declan will be proud.”

  Knox let his arms fall and waved Lorcan forward.

  “Winnie, this is Lorcan. Our—”

  “Your new mage,” she said, turning her piercing eyes on Lorcan again. “He doesn’t look like much.”

  “Looks deceive.”

  “And sometimes they don’t. Boundary’s still full of holes, or so I hear.”

  Lorcan flushed, dropping his gaze.

  “That’s not his fault, Winnie.”

  “Well, if he’s no use to us when he’s with you, let someone else have him. You’ve got enough on your plate without playing babysitter.”

  Lorcan didn’t want to hear anymore. He turned and walked away through the trees, their voices following him. He didn’t hear Knox follow after him, but the wolf was suddenly there by his side.

  “Bored already?”

>   “I’m tired of being talked about like I’m property to be passed around.”

  “She didn’t mean it that way.”

  “She did. The Warrens did. Maken Pack did. Mages are glorified slaves. That’s why my family calls it a curse.”

  “It’s not a curse.”

  “Right. It’s a blessing in disguise. So deeply disguised that it has all the traits of a curse.”

  “You’re angry.”

  Lorcan stayed stubbornly silent.

  “Jealous, maybe?”

  He almost came to a standstill but managed to catch himself and keep walking.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Winnie’s like family. She’s Gage’s sister. There’s nothing more between us.”

  The casual way they touched said something different, but Lorcan was damned if he was going to let Knox know how much she’d gotten to him.

  He stomped on through the forest, Knox steering them east. Struggling for something to talk about, he hit on a question that had been at the back of his mind since shortly after his arrival.

  “How come none of them were kids? Human kids, I mean. They were all wolves.” In fact, Lorcan could count on two hands the pack members he’d met in human form. It was always the same ones. Now that he thought about it, it seemed strange.

  Lorcan only realized that Knox had stopped walking when he glanced sideways and saw the wolf wasn’t beside him. He turned and spotted Knox a few feet behind, standing still amongst the trees.

  “What? What is it?”

  “Don’t bring that up in front of the others.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s a… sore point.”

  “Why? What am I missing?”

  “You’ve seen how bad my control is, right? And I’m an alpha.”

  “Are you saying…” But no, he couldn’t be saying that, could he?

  “The wolf is the stronger half. Without magic, we can’t move between forms. Our wolf side wins out over the human. Our pack’s magic reserves are so low that only the strongest of us can still change form. Some of those cubs have never been human. The rest haven’t been human since Keegan died.”

  “Keegan?”

  “Another mage. His magic helped a lot of the internal workings of the pack. We lost a lot when we lost him.”

  Lorcan couldn’t imagine that—being trapped in animal form, unable to reach the other part of yourself.

  “Is it… I mean, can wolves survive like that?”

  “We can live that way, but the longer we’re like that, the more feral we become. Eventually, we’ll be trapped, cursed to live forever as wolves. We’ll lose any human part of ourselves.”

  Dread filled Lorcan as his early observations took on a darker meaning.

  “It’s not just the kids, is it? You said only the strongest of you can still change form.”

  “The alphas, and those high up in the pack hierarchy. All told, less than a quarter of the pack still has control over their shifts. For most of us, that control is slipping further from our grasps with each passing day.”

  “What does that mean for your pack?”

  Knox stared at a point above Lorcan’s left shoulder, his eyes distant.

  “We’re dying. Without magic, packs are just wolves. We’ll cease to be anything but animals.”

  Lorcan was filled with guilt and the desperate need to help somehow.

  “Would my magic truly make a difference? Not with the boundary, but with the rest… if I was with another alpha?”

  Knox’s hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white. When he spoke, his voice was strained with tension.

  “Yes.”

  Lorcan swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. “Then I guess you’d better introduce me.”

  14

  Introducing Lorcan to the rest of the alphas was the last thing Knox wanted to do. But for the good of the pack, he had to. He considered calling them all to the pack house, but that might overwhelm an already hesitant Lorcan. It would be better to introduce them one by one. Knox had a good idea where to find the other alphas. He’d leave Barrett for last, or maybe leave him out altogether. If he took an interest in Lorcan, it could be dangerous.

  He felt the weight of Lorcan’s pitying gaze as they walked. Laying bare the reality of his pack’s situation had been hard, but Lorcan deserved to know the truth. In silence, they traipsed through the meadow toward the lake. During the warmest part of the day, a lot of the pack could be found there cooling off. It would be a good chance for Lorcan to meet Declan, Ronan, or even Gage.

  They heard the pack before they saw them, and Knox knew exactly what Lorcan’s eyes would see—lots of wolves, only a handful of humans. Declan was in the water, messing around with a few of his hunters. Ronan was sitting on a rocky outcropping near the bank. If he was surprised to see Knox and Lorcan, he didn’t show it.

  “You look like shit.”

  Knox rolled his eyes.

  “Yeah, well. We don’t all have a cushy desk job like you.” With the pack so weak, there wasn’t a lot of enforcement needed.

  “Oh, don’t worry. Gage has roped us into hunting and watching the boundary. Covering your ass, as usual.”

  There wasn’t as much of a sting in his words as there would have been had Declan been the one saying them.

  “The pack needs all the help it can get. Ro, meet Lorcan. He’s… looking for a more compatible match.”

  Ronan raised an eyebrow, looking past Knox to Lorcan. “Is that so?”

  Lorcan shrugged awkwardly. “Seems I’m not much good at boundary magic. I’ll have to find some other way to make myself useful.”

  Ronan’s eyes slid from Lorcan back to Knox.

  “Uh-huh.”

  He stepped forward slowly, keeping a close eye on Knox as he approached Lorcan. Knox folded his arms and forced himself not to move.

  Lorcan froze, watching Ronan with wide eyes as the wolf paused a few feet away.

  “I hear you’re a druid and not a sorcerer.”

  “Yeah. Sorry to be such a disappointment.”

  “No one’s disappointed. We haven’t had a new mage here in a long time. You’re very welcome, no matter what flavor of magic you’re practicing.”

  A small smile graced Lorcan’s face. “At least you’re nice. Knox doesn’t do nice.”

  Knox glowered, which just made Ronan grin and Lorcan giggle.

  “Knox is an acquired taste, sure. I’m a little more palatable. So, hey, do you mind if I let my wolf get a sense of you?”

  Lorcan audibly swallowed. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

  Ronan’s smile turned softer as he stepped closer and reached out a hand, lightly caressing Lorcan’s cheek. Knox dug his nails into his palms, almost drawing blood. He sensed Ronan’s wolf grow stronger, rising closer to the surface at Lorcan’s proximity. But just as quickly, it subsided.

  Ronan managed to mask his disappointment well.

  “You’re an acquired taste too, apparently. What a pity.”

  “My turn.”

  Knox bristled at the sound of Declan’s voice. The hunter waded out of the lake and sauntered toward them. Lorcan stared wide-eyed as the naked wolf approached him.

  “Uh…”

  “The best way to attract a predator is to look like prey,” Declan drawled. “And you look ripe to be chased.”

  “Declan, you’re scaring him,” Ronan chided.

  Lorcan’s eyes were big, his blood thrumming beneath his skin, but his feet appeared rooted to the spot. Declan took another step toward him, and another. The fear on Lorcan’s face slowly faded, replaced by a confused curiosity. Lorcan’s magic sized the alpha up as Declan’s wolf did the same to him. It wasn’t anything like the flat rejection of Lorcan by Ronan’s wolf. Declan was clearly interested, captivated by Lorcan.

  Knox took a few deep breaths and tried to hold back the wave of possessiveness running through him. Even though his temporary bond with Lorcan was days old, his wolf hadn’t relinq
uished its claim.

  Declan reached a hand out to touch Lorcan, and Knox reacted without thinking. He leaped between the two, pushed Lorcan behind him, and growled at Declan.

  “He’s mine. Back off.”

  Declan slowly crossed his arms, staring him down.

  “But he could be mine. My wolf wants him.”

  “If you put your hands on him…”

  “You said you didn’t want him. You offered him up.”

  “I’m not a piece of meat to be passed around,” Lorcan said hotly.

  Declan smirked. “Aren’t you?”

  Knox put a hand on Declan’s chest and shoved him.

  “Back the hell off.”

  “Either he’s yours or he’s not, Knox. He can’t be both. You said it yourself—he’s useless to you. But maybe he’s got some druid tricks up his sleeve that I can make good use of. Or at least we’ll have fun trying.”

  Knox’s fist was flying before Declan had even finished speaking. The force of the blow rocked Declan, but he didn’t lose his footing. He swung right back, and Knox blocked the punch, the blow smacking against his forearm.

  “If you want to fight over him, we’ll fight,” Declan growled. His betas gathered behind him, snapping and snarling.

  Knox backed off, keeping hold of Lorcan.

  “No!” Lorcan pushed close to Knox’s back, and Knox could feel the rapid beat of his heart. “I don’t care which of you thinks you’re top dog. This is my choice.”

  Declan snarled, and Knox answered him with a growl of his own.

  “Stop.”

  Gage’s voice rang out over the lake, and everything went quiet. Declan’s betas crouched close to the ground and backed away in the face of the alpha’s anger. Declan just shrugged his shoulders. “I was only messing with him.”

  “Well, don’t,” Gage snapped. “Things are tense enough without the two of you at each other’s throats.”

  Knox managed to dial back his anger and think more clearly.

  “I’m sorry, Gage. I know what I need to do. It’s just harder than I thought it would be.”

  Gage stepped forward, his hands held out, palms up. “I understand. This is my fault. I pushed Lorcan on you before I had a true understanding of his nature. Right now, you’re thinking with a wolf’s instincts. They can’t be rationalized or reasoned with.”