The wizard wolf listened to his mate as much as his sister—which was not at all. He lunged at Zackary with his razor-sharp fangs already coated in blood.
In the next instant there was a third wolf—female—jumping into the fray, snarling up a storm. Sasha had shifted and joined them. Tabor immediately pulled back before he could accidently harm his mate in the brawl.
Sasha growled low in her throat, a warning not to resume their fight.
“You both need to shift right now,” she communicated.
Tabor snarled in Zackary’s direction. “Not a chance,” his bared fangs said.
Zackary wasn’t going to shift before Tabor, leaving himself exposed. No chance in hell.
“Go lick your balls, half-breed,” Zackary returned.
Tabor’s lips lifted over his gums right before he lunged. Zackary pounced, ready to cleanse his mouth of Elsie’s blood from the mate bond and replace it with Tabor’s after he got the mutt on his back. He wasn’t about to be made a fool twice in one day. Losing to the half-breed was out of the question, especially since Elsie had shifted and was now barking at them. He’d show her what a strong, capable male he was. No wolf would take him down.
Sasha yipped, but this time it was a bone-chilling snarl that caught everyone’s attention. It erupted from the bushes. Zackary and Tabor stopped and lifted their heads, a momentary pause, before Vallen leapt onto the trail, the fur along the ridge of his back sticking up razor sharp. His growls were ceaseless.
Horror crashed through Zackary. His female was here in wolf form, as was a pregnant packmate.
All four of them snarled back at the rabid wolf. They held their places, lips drawn up, growling. Zackary’s attention was now fully focused on Vallen. He was an intruder, a danger to his pack. Vallen needed to be killed, but Zackary had to watch out for the mad wolf’s lethal bite.
When Vallen lunged at Tabor, Zackary dove around and went for the crazed wolf’s hind leg, only to end up biting the brute’s tail. Forgetting Tabor, Vallen roared and turned around, glaring at Zackary. He opened his jaws, going for Zackary’s neck, only missing by a couple inches.
Zackary’s heart raced. His ears drew back flat against his head.
He came at Vallen, turning sideways at the last second and throwing his weight into the other wolf. The rabid beast was knocked aside but kept his footing. Zackary moved to face him, standing tall and alert while Vallen crouched low near the ground, snarling. The old wolf’s tongue lolled from his mouth as foam dripped from his jaw. All of his wiry hairs stood on end like prickly pine needles.
Vallen charged Zackary head on, his jaw open wide as he came at him.
Angry, vicious teeth sank into his neck. Time stuttered to a stop as he was sucked away to another time.
Drumbeats and firelight danced through the trees as a young Zackary snuck in from the den to spy on the adults’ full moon ceremony. Justin and Wiley were supposed to accompany him, but they’d chickened out at the last minute.
The music and merriment drew Zackary in closer. He wondered what he’d see. He had half a mind not to share any information with his friends for tucking tail. Then again, he imagined the fun he could have taunting them with everything they’d missed.
He could hear laughter and loud, slurred speech. He was almost near enough to peek in through the bushes when a large figure stepped out of the shadows blocking him.
Zackary’s breath stalled. Why was it that the last person he wanted to run into was the one who had to discover him sneaking in? Did Sky Mother hate him that much? She wasn’t around to ask. Darkness cloaked the forest but not the sneer on his father’s face.
“What are you doing here, boy?”
Vallen didn’t bother making a fist. The back of his hand across Zackary’s face was enough to upend him. He hurtled backward, landing roughly on the ground. Vallen lifted him by the neck and pushed him down again.
“Stop it,” Zackary said.
“What are you going to do about it?” Vallen slurred in a mocking tone.
When Zackary tried to get to his feet, Vallen tackled him. Angry tears sprang from Zackary’s eyes.
“I think you should crawl back to the den like the baby you are.” Vallen’s cruel words were spoken an inch from his ear.
Zackary kicked his dad, but the brute didn’t even flinch, just picked him up by the neck again and squeezed. Pinched.
Broke skin.
Pain lanced through his neck where Vallen had bitten him.
Throughout his childhood, Zackary’s father had taken away his sense of self-worth, now the bastard had stolen his soul in one final bite.
Fuck that!
Before he succumbed to madness, or was put down by the pack, Zackary would make sure Vallen never hurt another wolf again.
With nothing left to lose, Zackary flipped around and lashed out at the rabid, beastly animal, slashing at Vallen with his claws. Blood filled Zackary’s nails as he raked them down Vallen’s hind flanks. The rabid wolf snarled his fury. He snapped his jaws near Zackary’s face, but Zack dashed to Vallen’s other side and bit the side of his neck. Vallen shook him off and tried to get the upper hand, but Zackary darted around him, snapping at the mongrel’s hind legs. He charged Vallen from the side, knocking the other wolf over. Vallen’s legs flailed, attempting to find purchase, but Zackary was there locking onto his neck, shaking side to side. The blood filling his mouth fueled his frenzy. Jaw clamped as tight as a metal trap, Zackary shook his head, yanking Vallen’s throat viciously until it ripped open and blood flowed freely, leaking from his jaw to the ground.
With one final triumphant jerk, Zackary released Vallen.
There were no cries from the rabid brute, not even a final snarl of goodbye.
chapter twenty
Maybe Elsie should have remained in wolf form. She was the first to shift, prepared to knock everyone out to save them all from the rabid wolf.
But she was too late. Still crouched naked on the ground, her heart gave out as she watched Vallen bite Zackary.
“No,” a soft voice croaked inside her head.
It was as though her mind had gone hoarse along with her throat from all of the earlier screaming.
“No,” she thought again and again. “No. No. No. No. No.”
“Elsie? Are you okay?” Sasha’s voice made her body jerk.
She turned to find Sasha and Tabor staring at her. Zackary was the only one who hadn’t shifted. He would never shift again.
“No. He’s okay. He killed Vallen. He hasn’t run off.”
The madness had yet to claim him.
“Was he bitten?” Tabor demanded.
“No.” The lie caught in Elsie’s throat before she could utter a sound.
“He must have been, but I’m not certain,” Sasha said, frowning at Elsie.
Zackary remained in wolf form, blinking at the wolf he’d just killed. He behaved as though he wasn’t aware of his packmates’ presence. His wolf stood still, panting and staring at the ground in a daze.
“They were fighting too close. Vallen had to have gotten his teeth in him at some point. Everyone stand back.” Tabor stretched his arms from side to side as though to create a human barrier.
“No!” Elsie yelped, finding her voice. She darted in front of Tabor, serving as the new barrier between wolf and humans. “He’ll be okay. We can fix him,” she pleaded.
Tabor grimaced. “Elsie—” he started.
“No! Don’t hurt my mate. I can reverse this. I’ll find a way.”
“Elsie, I’m sorry. He’s as good as gone.” Tabor sounded firm this time. Resolute. “You might not want to watch.”
She went still—not with fear, but with determination. Magic sizzled along Elsie’s veins and flared inside her chest. It had a heart of its own that pumped with mystical electricity.
Things would not end this way. She wouldn’t stand by while her brother killed her mate. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
She’d find a way to save him.
What better use for her powers than for the sake of true love?
“Hold on, Zackary,” she thought as her voice rose above the forest.
“Ferus matangi. Ferus vonku. Na veigacagaca alle. Khob formella cov lus no.”
She shouted the spell so that no one could interrupt. She swept her arms above her head then ran to catch Sasha before the pregnant female fell unconscious to the ground. Tabor fell over like dead weight. She only had time to help one of them, and Sasha took precedence.
The forest, which had been filled with such grizzly sounds moments before, went silent in the wake of Elsie’s incantation. There wasn’t so much as a peep from the birds’ overhead. At least none fell out of the tree. Maybe the snarls had already scared them off.
After gently easing Sasha to the ground, Elsie surveyed the scene. Everyone had been knocked unconscious, including Zackary’s wolf, who had fallen onto his belly, front legs flanking his muzzle on the ground as though he was snoozing.
A sob broke through Elsie’s lips as she rushed over and dropped down beside him. She covered his body with hers, hugging him, reassuring herself that he was still warm and breathing, his soft fur against her naked body. She eased up, stroking the beautiful wolf’s head. Her fingers trailed along his furry back.
“I love you, Zackary. I love you so much. Don’t leave me, my love. Not like this. Not ever.”
The side of her neck where he’d bitten her throbbed from their recent claiming. Elsie held two fingers to the love bite, her other hand resting on her beloved wolf mate.
Tears burst out of her. She cried harder and harder until a torrent of agony soaked her face in anguished sorrow.
Howls echoed from too close.
“Go away. I want to be alone,” Elsie thought. Her jaw tightened.
Four wolves ran in and circled the fallen group. Elsie was not able to place who they were. As the fur on their ears began to recede, Elsie said her spell again, knocking them out before they had a chance to shift.
She needed more time.
“There has to be a way,” she whispered. “There must. I’ll do anything. Make any bargain . . . any sacrifice. Just give me back my mate.”
Was this the kind of desperation Lazarus had experienced when he made that long-ago bargain with her future?
If given the option, would she be willing to promise her firstborn child in exchange for her mate’s life?
“Yes,” she thought.
Without her mate there would be no child. Without him, there was no life worth living. These thoughts were pointless, anyway. It was an entirely different situation. But William was right about one thing . . . Lazarus was a powerful wizard. More importantly, he wasn’t afraid to cross lines.
Her father owed her. If he ever wanted her forgiveness, then he would cure her mate.
Zackary had saved her from Brutus then he’d sacrificed himself to protect them all. He could have run away. Instead, he’d killed his father ensuring the mad wolf didn’t destroy any more lives.
Vallen did not get to take Zackary away from her.
But what if it was truly too late? What if her mate’s mind was lost forever?
“No,” Elsie said. That two-letter word played on endless repeat inside her head.
If Lazarus could make a shifter lose her mind, then he should be able to do the opposite and make a mad wolf shifter sane again. Right?
She fell over Zackary, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
“That stupid curse makes no difference. If I could be with anyone in the world, it’s you. You had my heart from the very beginning.”
Her tears rained down on Zackary, wetting his fur.
“Elsie, what has happened?”
At first, she thought she’d imagined her father’s voice.
Wet faced and sagging, Elsie turned her head until she spotted Lazarus standing beside Tabor’s fallen form. Their father’s gaze locked on hers and his frown deepened.
“What are you doing here?” Elsie asked.
“William took off. I assumed he was headed your way to cause trouble. The neighbors saw him sneak into my villa while I was with Shannon then leave soon after. I figured he’d taken an article of your clothing for a location spell and beaten me to the hollow.” Lazarus rubbed his chin, taking in the scene. “What is going on here?”
Elsie’s fingers curled in Zackary’s hair one last time before she stood up. She covered her breasts with her long brown hair and locked eyes with Lazarus.
“Did you enchant my mother? Did you make her love you and breed with you?” Her voice came out cold and calm, the opposite of how she felt.
Lazarus scowled. “How could you ask such a thing? Has Jager been feeding you this nonsense?”
“William told me.”
Lazarus made a snarling sound as though he too was part wolf shifter.
“That blockhead speaks without knowledge. When he returns to Balmar Heights, I’ll place a tracking spell over him so that he won’t be able to go anywhere without me knowing. William will never bother you again.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Answer the question, Lazarus. Answer it honestly.”
“I am your father.” He sighed and shook his head. “I loved your mother with my whole being. Abigail and I had an instant connection, but our love was considered taboo. Shifters have a misplaced sense of exclusivity within their species—especially wolves. Years of programming confused Abigail into thinking on behalf of her pack rather than her feelings and what she wanted. I just helped her choose what she really wanted—me.”
Elsie narrowed her eyes. He could tell her anything and she’d have no way of knowing if it was the truth. What she needed was a truth spell, but that required candles—something the hollow didn’t have.
Do you really want to know the truth?
It would be so much easier to believe what he’d told her.
“What about Tabor’s mother?”
“I came across her in the woods during a solo trek I made shortly after losing my first forever mate, Lillian. I gave poor Lucinda quite the fright. I may have used a spell to keep her from shifting, but only so I could explain I meant her no harm.”
Elsie’s stomach soured. She pursed her lips.
“You’re saying she went from being afraid of you to madly in love?”
Lazarus’s head turned and lowered. He looked at Tabor, who had landed face first on the ground.
“Lucinda and I loved one another very much. Unfortunately, she became too unstable to bring back to Balmar Heights.”
“What did you do to her? Why didn’t you fix her?” Cold, dark trenches dug their way through Elsie’s stomach. If Lazarus hadn’t been able to help Lucinda, how would he help Zackary?
“I cannot alter another being’s personality,” Lazarus answered sharply. “Lucinda wasn’t altogether sane from the start. She’d stepped away from her home territory. I found out she was prone to wandering alone. I didn’t realize how deep her personal issues ran when we met.”
“So you thought, hey, here’s a convenient female all by herself—what a great opportunity to breed?”
Lazarus scowled. “That’s not how it happened. We talked. It was nice. We agreed to meet up again. We got to know one another first.”
“You just said you were unaware of her mental instability. Now you’re telling me you met up multiple times for a friendly rendezvous in the forest.”
Streaks of light crackled inside Lazarus’s irises.
“I don’t appreciate this line of questioning, Elsie. Everything I’ve done has been for our coven’s safety and continued survival. I loved Lucinda and Abigail. That’s what’s important. That’s what you need to remember. And I love you. The moment you entered this world, you were the pride and joy of my life.”
“You loved me so much you promised me to a bear shifter.” Elsie scoffed.
“That was before I ever dreamed I’d have a son and daughter of my own—as you well know.”
“Do I? Maybe that
story about the captured children was just that—a story.”
Bolts of yellow light crossed over her father’s pupils. “I would never make up something so horrible,” he thundered. “Those missing kids were my responsibility. It didn’t matter who the parents were—I am this coven’s leader. The safety of our people is my responsibility, a responsibility I take more seriously than my own life. We all feared for Noah and Layla. Your questioning my commitment to our community hurts me more than you realize. I was willing to do anything to save them. I agreed to the bear shifters’ terrible terms even knowing what it might cost me in the future. Your mother, may she run forever free, knew the risk, but she also knew that if we should be lucky enough to have a daughter that you would be able to choose a mate from your wolf side and avoid the curse. My last promise to her before she died was to ensure you didn’t end up with Brutus or any other bear or shifter you did not want to be with. Now why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here? Why are your brother and his mate unconscious? And—is that a dead wolf? What happened?”
Elsie felt the tears running down her cheeks in twin streams. The finality of her father’s words brought her back to the present and the tragedy she didn’t have the strength to face.
“The dead wolf was rabid. He bit my mate. I think Tabor was going to kill Zackary. I had to stop him.”
Lazarus looked past Elsie to the motionless wolf. “You were successful then? He claimed you? The curse is broken?”
“What does it matter?” Elsie asked angrily. Her vision blurred. Couldn’t her father see that she was dying inside?
“You saw the rabid wolf bite your mate?” Lazarus asked slowly.
“Yes. Tell me there’s a way to stop the madness.”
Lazarus frowned. “You know I would if I could.”
He might as well have shoved her off the highest mountain to jagged rocks below or thrown her down the deepest, darkest well.
“No. There has to be a way,” Elsie insisted, stiffening. She lifted her head to the sky ready to call upon any deities that might reside in the heavens.
“You love him?” Lazarus studied her with intense green eyes.
“More than life itself,” Elsie answered.
Moon Cursed (Wolf Hollow Shifters Book 4) Page 21
