Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  She nodded and left the room. Jet and Toby were still going at it.

  “W-would y-you two s-stop?”

  Toby took a deep breath. “Yes, but Jet, you need to chill. Got it?”

  “We can use the stone to capture him! What’s stopping us?”

  “Other than the fact that the stone isn’t going to send an army his way?”

  “How do we know that?” Jet narrowed his eyes. “It just took her over there. We have no idea what it can do.”

  “Exactly. We have to be careful.”

  “Well, when you’re ready to take action, come and find me. I’m going to check on Ziamara and Sebastian.” He stormed up the stairs.

  I met Toby’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He’s the one refusing to listen to me.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” All of this was my fault. I’d been so eager to find the stone, I hadn’t taken any time to research what the repercussions might be. There may have been a warning somewhere about a murderous werewolf attached to it.

  Roska returned with a steaming mug. “Your mom says this is the way you love it.”

  “Thanks.” I took it and sipped. My mouth filled with hot, super-sweet chocolate. It was certainly the way I had preferred it as a kid. But all I cared about was the warmth. I drank it down, allowing it to warm me from the inside out.

  Toby took the empty mug and set it on a side table. “Can Roska look at the stone?”

  Instinctively, I covered it. “And do what?”

  She sat next to me and smiled sweetly. “I just want to have a look. I’m not going to do anything to it. We just need to understand it—more than just the fact that it’s powerful. How could a werewolf live inside of it? Can it really break the curse? How were you able to transport yourself to where Fen is?”

  My fingers tightened around it. “Then what?”

  “We can figure out what to do next.”

  “He said he’d consider stopping. Let’s see if he does.”

  Toby frowned. “Do you really think he will?”

  “He said he would.”

  “Stop?” Roska asked.

  “Consider it.”

  They exchanged a worried glance.

  “He said we’re safe,” I insisted.

  Roska squeezed my hand. “You want to be able to break the moon’s curse, don’t you?”

  “That’s why I went in search of the stone.”

  “Let me have a look.”

  Fear ripped through me, starting where the necklace rested against my skin.

  Soleil bounced into the room. “Your bath is ready. Hurry up, or I’m going to climb in. I added some salts that will relax and soothe you while the heat rids you of the chills.”

  I rose, continuing to cling to the stone. “I’d better not leave it waiting.”

  “The stone?” Roska held out a hand.

  “I’ll consider it.”

  “That’s all I can ask.”

  I followed Soleil upstairs, even though I knew where the bathroom was. She made a production of waving me inside. “What do you think?”

  The tub was filled with bubbles, shining every color of the rainbow. The room smelled of a mixture of roses and citrus. Steam already clung to the mirrors.

  She held out her hand. “Want me to hold the stone for you while you bathe?”

  Anger raced through me. “Is that why you did this?”

  Soleil covered her heart. “I’m hurt you’d think such a thing.”

  I glared at her.

  “Fine, it played somewhat into it. Yes, I was hoping you’d let me study the stone, but it was mostly to help you—you haven’t stopped shivering since you came back.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but I’m going to keep it on.”

  “You aren’t worried that the water will harm it?”

  “Not in the slightest. It spent centuries in a damp cave. Besides, nothing happened to it when I took my shower this morning.”

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Yes. You’re one of my best friends.”

  “Then let me have a look. Who knows more about essence than me?”

  I studied my friend. She was right. I had no reason to distrust her. My fingers reached for the stone, but my hands shook as though repelled from it. I still couldn’t bring myself to take off the stone.

  Chapter 26

  Toby

  Soleil came down the stairs and avoided my eye contact.

  “She didn’t agree, did she?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Do you think the bath will make her sleepy?” Roska asked.

  “I know it will. She won’t be able to keep her eyes open after soaking in the mixture of salts I used. Once she steps out, she’s going to be overwhelmed with sleepiness. Then we can study the stone.”

  I sighed in relief and turned to Roska. “What has Gessilyn found in her books?”

  “So far, just something about a werewolf being imprisoned inside an essence stone. But it’s a start. We know it was a high witch who stuck him there.”

  “But it didn’t say anything about the stone? Or Fen? Or how he was put there?”

  “She’s looking. The books aren’t organized like anything we’ve ever seen. Gess has to decode the words to figure out where related topics are written—usually in a completely different book. Most of the books are written by various high witches, and there are still plenty of blank pages for her to add her own notes for future high witches.”

  I took a deep breath. “Any idea how long this might take?”

  Roska shook her head. “It’s all still so new to her.”

  “You two have to study the stone when Victoria sleeps. It’s eating me up that we don’t know what effect it has on her.”

  Soleil patted my shoulder. “She isn’t showing any worrisome signs, and like we said before, there’s no evil emanating from it.”

  I leaned back against the couch. “I guess I should be glad about that. Do you think she really spoke with Fen? Or could it have been some kind of mirage?”

  “We’ll have a better idea once we look at it,” Roska said.

  Jet came down the stairs, not looking much happier than when he’d stormed away.

  “How’s Zia?” I asked.

  “Fine, just resting with the baby.”

  “Are you ready to discuss this like two alphas?”

  “You mean by tearing each other’s throats apart?” He sat next to me, staring at me.

  “I don’t mean traditional alphas. I’m talking about having a mature discussion, alpha to assistant alpha.”

  He folded his arms and raised his brows. “I can handle that.”

  “Good, because I’d rather work with you on this than against you.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  I sat up and rubbed my temples. “I think we need to find a way to lure Fen to us.”

  “You want him here?” Jet exclaimed.

  Roska and Soleil exchanged worried expressions.

  “At least wait for us to study the stone,” Roska said.

  “I wouldn’t consider anything else. We need a plan—a solid one. And understanding the stone is the most important element.”

  “What are we going to do once we have him?” Jet asked. “Stick him back in the stone?”

  I shook my head. “If we want to use it for breaking the curse, I can’t imagine it working with him inside.”

  He scratched his chin, looking deep in thought. “Whatever it is, it will probably have to involve Victoria.”

  My chest constricted. “You think so?”

  “You don’t? She’s the one wolf who found the stone. It transported her to where he is! She’s going to have to be front and center of whatever we do to lure him.”

  Roska and Soleil added their agreements.

  “Okay, but only if you can guarantee her safety. I don’t trust Fen farther than I can throw my Hummer.”

  We sat in silence for several minutes before Soleil
snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it!”

  “What?” I exclaimed.

  “The wedding.” She stared at us like we should have praised her brilliance.

  “You’re going to have to explain,” I said.

  “If you guys move up the wedding date, it might be enough to draw him to us.”

  “I’m not sure he’d care.”

  “It seems like he and Victoria have some kind of connection. He—”

  “No,” I corrected. “They’re both connected to the stone, not each other.”

  “But it might be enough to draw him here. She wants to wear it for the wedding, right? Everyone is going to see it—gathered together in one place.”

  “I think she has a point,” Roska said. “If not the stone or Victoria, then a huge gathering of werewolves and other supernaturals.”

  They definitely had a point, but I didn’t like the idea of using all our guests as bait.

  “You don’t like my plan?” Soleil pouted.

  “I don’t like the idea of using everyone we know and putting them in danger. There’ll be a high number of werewolves there, and if you hadn’t noticed, those are the people Fen is killing en masse.”

  Roska nodded. “Right, but if we’re prepared, he won’t be able to hurt anyone.”

  “I find that hard to believe given how many packs he’s overtaken on his own.”

  Soleil sat taller. “Did any of them have a witch and a valkyrie?”

  “Gessilyn would definitely show up for your wedding,” Roska said.

  I took a deep breath. “Let me process this.”

  “Victoria would be thrilled,” Soleil said. “You know I’m right.”

  “She does want to get married as soon as possible, but she also wants it to be special. If Fen shows up and kills all the guests, that’s going to put a real damper on things.”

  Roska held my gaze. “Don’t you see? He won’t be able to. You’ll have an entire coven of witches, including the high witch.”

  “And a valkyrie,” Soleil added. “Not to mention whatever Tap has stored at the Faeble. He had the half of the map we needed to find the stone. Imagine what else he keeps locked away under the bar.”

  “You two are convinced, aren’t you?”

  They both nodded.

  “I still want you to look at the necklace while she sleeps.”

  “So, you agree?” Roska’s eyes lit up.

  “I’ll talk to Victoria after she gets out of the bath. If she doesn’t like the idea of having our wedding crashed by that wolf, then it’s off. If she’s for it, then so am I.”

  “I’ll go check and see how she’s doing.” Soleil jumped up and rushed up the stairs.

  “Do you really think this will work?” I asked Roska.

  “It has to. A high witch trapped him before. You’re going to need Gessilyn’s power—it’s really grown. You should see her.”

  “I’m sure she has grown more powerful, given all the training since we last saw her. Maybe you should find out if she’s learned anything in her books since you’ve been here while I talk with Victoria.”

  “Good idea.” She pulled out her phone and slid her finger around the screen.

  I got up, walked over to the big picture window, and read through the avalanche of new texts. Fen had attacked and annihilated another Alaskan pack. Everyone was waiting to see where he would go next. They were hiding their women and children and preparing for battle. Neighboring packs were joining forces, ready to take on the ancient wolf.

  I sent a quick text in all-caps reminding them not to kill him, or protecting loved ones could be pointless. Hopefully, the witches or Soleil could figure out how much truth there was to all the rumors floating around about Fen. In the meantime, we couldn’t take any risks.

  Soleil came down the stairs. “She’s pretty sleepy. You’d better talk with her now, or you’re going to have to wait a while.”

  I flew past her, up the stairs to Victoria’s room. The door was open, so I went in. She sat at the vanity wearing a thick purple bathrobe. Her wet hair was slicked back and soaking into the robe.

  “Victoria?”

  She turned around. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “How’s everything going? Did Fen stop his killing spree?”

  “I heard of one more pack in Alaska, but nothing since that.”

  Victoria brought her hands together. “He said he had to take care of one more pack, and then he would consider stopping. Maybe he did.”

  “We can only hope.” I scooted next to her on the tiny bench seat and barely had enough room. “Did Soleil tell you what we were talking about?”

  She shook her head. “What is it?”

  I hated the idea of using our wedding for anything other than celebrating our love. What if she did, too? I took a deep breath. “First, you need to know that if you don’t like this idea, it’s off the table.”

  “What is it?” she repeated. Her eyes grew wider.

  My throat went dry. I cleared it. “They suggested that we might be able to lure Fen to our wedding.”

  Victoria arched a brow. “Meaning?”

  “If we move the date closer and invite as many werewolves as we know, he might show up. Then Gessilyn can work her magic to stop him before he wipes out more of our kind.”

  She didn’t say anything, and her expression didn’t change.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Obviously, I love the idea of getting married sooner, but what if he’s done killing?”

  “He said he’d think about stopping, right?” I asked. “He didn’t say he would quit?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “What if he takes out another pack?”

  She played with a nail. “Then he needs to be stopped.”

  “So, what do you think? Should we push the date of the wedding?”

  “To when?” She looked back up at me.

  “Tomorrow?”

  Her gorgeous eyes widened. “That soon?”

  “Everyone’s eager to stop him. Most everyone would drop everything to help make that happen.”

  Victoria rubbed the stone and stared into the mirror for a minute before turning back to me. “How about this? We plan the wedding, and if Fen stops killing, we enjoy our ceremony and take a nice, long honeymoon together. If he doesn’t stop and we manage to lure him, then we’ll deal with him and get married once he’s… what? Trapped somewhere?”

  I nodded. “I’ve given strict orders to everyone—he’s not to be killed.”

  “So, either way we’re getting married tomorrow?”

  “It appears that way.”

  She threw her arms around me. “I need to tell my mom. We need to call Tap. Oh, and the guests! They need to know.”

  “We have a lot to do. You’d better get some rest. We can’t have a tired bride.”

  “There’s too much to do.” She jumped up from the bench. The shift of weight nearly sent me to the floor, but I stood in time. She gave me a quick kiss and ran from the room.

  I blinked, feeling dazed. I’ve wanted to marry her for centuries, and now it was happening the next day? It seemed unreal—like someone would snap their fingers and I would wake, only to discover the other side had never opened, allowing her escape from death.

  My phone rang. It was Rick, the outspoken Canadian alpha.

  “Rick, what’s going on?”

  “You need to check the texting conversation.”

  Blood drained from my body. “What happened?”

  “Another pack was taken out. This time in northern British Columbia.”

  Chapter 27

  Victoria

  I barely recognized myself in the full-length mirror in the downstairs of the Faeble. The dress my mother had made fit me like a glove, and flowed so elegantly to the floor—thank goodness for her supernaturally quick sewing abilities. The wolf essence stone sat against my chest, just above the neckline of the dress. I looked like royalty.

  My heart pounded like a jackhammer. It was
so hard to believe that Toby and I were finally getting married. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen since new enemies seemed to arise against us every time the last one was taken down. Now our wedding might even help us catch Fen.

  Part of me felt bad about that—tricking him so he could be imprisoned again. But it had to be done. If he’d considered my request at all, he hadn’t honored it. Three more Canadian packs had been taken out. He was moving closer to Washington state.

  My mom came into the room. “You’re so beautiful, my darling. Are you almost ready?”

  “Is it already time?”

  “Just about. All the chairs have already been filled. Tap has no more. Do you mind people standing, or should we turn some away? We all agreed it’s up to you.”

  “They’re welcome to stay if they don’t mind standing.”

  She kissed my cheek. “I’ll let them know.”

  “Wait.”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you get ahold of Elsie?”

  She frowned. “I’m sorry, hon.”

  “It’s okay. I was just wondering.”

  “We’ll convince her to join the pack eventually. She’ll see that her life will be so much more fulfilling with a pack. It’s what we’re meant for. But given the one you girls were raised in, it’s no wonder she wants to run the other way. She doesn’t realize how good we have it with Toby.”

  My heart warmed. “We really do.” And soon, if all went well, I would be married to the most wonderful alpha alive.

  Mother squeezed my arm and gave me a reassuring smile before leaving the room. I barely had time to collect my thoughts when Soleil ran into the room.

  “Are you ready?” she asked. “The bridesmaids are all lined up, ready to go.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll return to my place in a minute. Do you need anything?”

  “Other than to get through the ‘I do’s’?”

  “No matter what happens with Fen, you’ll be a married woman headed for your mystery honeymoon in no time.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so.” She gave me a kiss and scampered out. Harp music drifted into the room.

  It was almost time.

  I turned back to the mirror and looked for anything that needed fixing. Everything looked perfect. Between my mother, Soleil, and Stella, they’d turned me into a work of art.