by Stella Blue
Teddy sighed. She’d wanted to talk to Emmett about the attacks and Ella’s death and explain herself, but the Aunts had scared her out of it. She looked down at her t-shirt and jeans. “Am I dressed okay?” she asked.
Phee beamed. “You look perfect,” she reassured. She drove them into the mountains toward the Strattons’ home.
The Stratton men lived in a large house in the mountains, with no neighbors around for miles. In the house’s large backyard, the glow of the bonfire beckoned. Phee parked the car, and the two women ventured toward the festivities. Teddy recognized some of the people from around Eaton, but others were new faces. “Visiting allies,” Phee explained.
As if drawn by the sound of her voice, Kitt appeared in front of the pair. “Hi, Kitt,” Phee greeted, smiling.
“Hi, Phee,” he breathed, grinning. After they’d shared a quick kiss, Kitt offered a small wave to Teddy. “Hey, Teddy! Emmett’s around here somewhere, sulking. Probably by the food, eating his feelings.”
Teddy laughed. “I’ll start my search there, then,” she said. Kitt walked them over to the food, where Waylon Woodall manned a table of desserts. “Waylon!” she greeted. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Silas and I go way back,” he explained. “I cater all of the pack events.”
Teddy took a cinnamon bun and nibbled on it, turning her attention to the fire. As she watched the flames twisting under the night sky, she felt a presence over her shoulder. “Emmett,” she whispered, turning to see him.
He looked paler than the last time she’d seen him, and his blue eyes were tinged with something dark, something she didn’t recognize. “Teddy,” he called, tangling a hand in her hair and pulling her close.
She’d missed him more than she thought. As she locked her arms around his neck, she mumbled against his chest. “I’m sorry.” He pulled away and looked at her. “Things are more complicated than I thought,” she admitted. “I guess I got scared.”
Emmett smiled at her. “You don’t ever have to be scared of me. You’re my mate. I’ll never hurt you,” he swore. Feeling her spirits lifting, Teddy kissed him passionately. His body warmed against hers like the bonfire burned in the night.
Suddenly, Emmett stiffened. “Theodora Kane,” a deep voice rumbled. Teddy let go of Emmet and turned to see Silas Stratton glaring down at her. He was an immense mountain of a man, with a thick beard, a barrel chest, and a scar across his cheek. The intensity of his glare made Teddy shrink back from him.
Emmett caught her hand, and she stood her ground. “What brings you to my home?” Silas demanded. Wyatt stood just behind him, a smaller version of his father.
“I was invited. Emmett invited me,” she said finally.
Silas turned his attention to his son. “I told you to stay away from those witches. The last thing I need is one of her spells getting someone hurt,” he reminded.
Emmett paused. “Teddy’s a good person. She just wants to help. That’s what her power is. She heals people,” he explained.
He chuckled ominously. “I’ve heard that before,” he warned. “You can hurt people, too, can’t you? Suck the life right out of them?”
She stared at him. “I don’t even know how to do that,” she stated.
“And how exactly am I supposed to trust you?” Silas wondered. “Because you say so? Because my son thinks he loves you? How do I know you haven’t put him under some love spell?”
Emmett glowered. “She’s my mate, Dad. Just like any other wolf, I know,” he argued. “There’s no spell.”
Silas glared at his son until Emmett ducked his head. He turned his attention to Teddy, crossing his arms. “You think I’d fall for the same trick twice? Mate or no mate, you think I’d just let you into my home, into my family? Just like that?” he asked, incredulous. “You’re lucky we let those aunts of yours live.”
Emmett stepped protectively in front of Teddy as she watched Silas’ face. “You knew Ella, didn’t you?” she realized, horrified. “You were the shifter that she fell in love with. The one that killed her.”
Silas’ face was stony in the glow of the bonfire. “Love? Is that what you call it? She killed my mate, the mother of my sons, and you say she loved me?” he questioned, glowering. Emmett frowned at the mention of his mother.
“What Ella did was wrong,” Teddy agreed. “But murdering her wasn’t right, either.”
Silas shook his head hopelessly. “I’m not going to argue with a child. Get off of my land and stay away from my family,” he threatened, turning and walking away.
Teddy opened her mouth to argue with Silas, but Phee distracted her as she ran over, Kitt trailing behind her. Her friend clutched her phone with a trembling hand. “Phee, what’s wrong?” Teddy asked, worried.
Phee had tears in her eyes. “Cora. She was attacked,” she panted.
Kitt looked to Wyatt, who shook his head in disbelief. “We’ve been doing extra patrols. We captured all of the rogues,” Wyatt pointed out.
“One of them must have escaped,” Kitt suggested.
“Not possible,” Wyatt argued. “They were bound in silver chains.”
“Then, that means other wolves are going rogue,” Emmett realized. He held Teddy closer to him protectively.
Wyatt sighed. “I’ll tell Dad. Kitt, you and Emmett get those two back to town. Then, come back to run patrols,” he ordered.
The brothers nodded and led the two women back to Phee’s car. The young men shifted into wolf form and ran alongside the car as Phee drove back into town. She rounded a bend and encountered a dark stretch of road. Suddenly, Phee braked, and Teddy stared at the sight before her.
Two rogue wolves awaited them, their eyes a glowing, violent shade of purple in the light. Phee and Teddy watched as Emmett and Kitt rushed at the wolves. Teeth bared, the rogues lunged. Jaws snapped and blood spilled on the road. Teddy panicked when she saw one of the rogues sink its teeth into Emmett’s shoulder, and she got out of the car despite Phee’s warnings.
More of the Stratton pack wolves appeared, taking down the rogues and holding them captive. Emmett shifted back into his human form, the gash on his shoulder wide and bloody. Teddy approached him, and his eyes flashed. He relaxed when he saw it was her, and she flew into his arms. “Are you okay?” she breathed, running a hand over his shoulder. The wound began to close up, but he still looked like he was in pain.
“I’ll be fine,” he promised, giving her a quick kiss. There was something floral in his scent, but Teddy couldn’t place it. “Kitt, you have to get them to the hospital.”
“Where are you going?” Teddy demanded.
He hesitated, shutting his eyes and wincing in pain. Teddy thought she spotted a tinge of purple in his eyes. “Kitt,” he growled. “Go. Now.”
Kitt ushered Teddy back to the car, and Phee sped away from the scene. As they raced through the night, Teddy’s hands shook. Deep in her heart, she could feel Emmett’s energy getting further and further away from hers.
Something was wrong with him.
Chapter Fifteen
The smell of Eaton’s hospital brought back uncomfortable memories for Teddy. She followed Phee through the halls numbly, thinking back to the day her mother died. The nurses had watched in pity as the doctor told her that Maggie had been killed in a car accident. As she approached Cora’s hospital room, Teddy wondered if her powers of Vigor could have saved her mother all those years ago.
Cora lay in her bed, bandages and bruises all over. Her fair skin looked even paler under the fluorescent lights. The monitor beeped with her steady heartbeat. Phee went to her side, reaching for her friend’s hand. The nurse had explained that Cora was badly injured when she was found. The doctors were able to get her stable, but they had to put her in an induced coma.
Teddy glanced down at her hands, rubbing her mother’s ring. An idea came to Teddy’s mind, and she took Cora’s other hand. She focused all of her energy on healing Cora’s wounds. But even though Teddy felt her magic welling u
p inside of her, Cora’s condition didn’t change. She released Cora, staring at her own hands in confusion. Healing the ill was supposed to be one of her powers.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the nurse said softly. “But it’s past visiting hours, and I’m technically only supposed to let relatives back here. I’m going to have to ask you to return to the waiting room.” Sadly, Phee and Teddy followed the nurse back to the waiting room. Helplessness consumed Teddy. Between not being able to heal Cora and not being to stop the rogues, she felt like there was nothing she could do.
The two friends lingered in the waiting room. “Any word from the boys?” Teddy wondered. As ordered, Kitt had hurried back to the Stratton home after delivering the girls to the hospital.
Phee shook her head and sighed. “No. And I don’t think there’s anything we can do from here,” she admitted.
Teddy offered a reassuring smile. “How about we go back to the Aunts’ house? You can spend the night, and we’ll come right back here first thing in the morning?” she suggested. “At least, we can still have our sleepover, like old times.”
Phee looked hopeful. “Okay,” she agreed. “Does Seph still make that lemon shortbread?”
Teddy grinned. “I think we can get her to whip some up.”
The two gave one final look back in Cora’s direction, sending her well wishes before heading back to the Aunts’ house.
After cups of calming tea and bites of Seph’s famous lemon shortbread, Phee dozed in Teddy’s bed while Teddy was questioned by the Aunts. “So…” Andie began. “Something tells me you weren’t having a sleepover at Phee’s house.” She held Teddy’s jacket in hand and gestured toward the smears of Emmett’s blood on the shoulder.
Teddy groaned. “I went to the Strattons. I wasn’t going to, at first, but…” She hesitated. “I just needed to see him.”
“Whose blood is this?” Seph asked.
“Emmett’s. When Phee and I were headed to the hospital to see Cora when we were attacked by two of the rogue wolves. Emmett and his pack were able stop them, but I think he got hurt,” she admitted. “I tried to heal him, but I’m not sure it worked.”
Seph scoffed while Andie rubbed her temples. “We told you to stay away from him,” Seph reminded. “You promised you would.”
Teddy sighed. “I know. I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I get why you’re so against them now.”
Andie looked up. “What do you mean?”
“I know that Silas was Ella’s lover,” she revealed. “He told me that she killed his wife. And that he killed her.”
“You spoke to Silas?” Andie wondered.
Teddy nodded. “He wasn’t exactly thrilled to see me with Emmett. Ordered me to get off of his land,” she reminisced.
“You’re lucky that’s all he did,” Seph commented.
Teddy let her head fall into her hands. “I don’t understand. How could a witch with Vigor cause so much pain?” she whispered.
“Because she was in pain herself,” Andie reasoned. “She wanted Silas to know the pain of losing the one you love.”
Seph scoffed. “Ella didn’t just want Silas to lose Christine. She wanted him to lose himself,” she added. “Forcing his hand like that. She was twisted that way.”
“What do you mean?” Teddy inquired. “How did she force his hand?”
Andie and Seph exchanged a look. “Christine was a shifter. Ella poisoned her with aconite, wolf’s bane, and it destroyed the wolf in her. The human part of her wasn’t strong enough to survive the poison alone.”
Teddy nodding, remembering the story her aunts had told. “But then Mom cast the spell to fix her, right?”
“Right. Maggie cast a spell to reverse the effects of Ella’s poison, but it didn’t work as intended. Christine’s wolf grew stronger and stronger, overpowering her human side,” Seph explained.
“She grew violent and angry. She even tried to attack the boys once,” Andie continued.
“She went rogue,” Teddy realized.
“Hazel tried to heal her, but there was nothing she could do. Christine shifted into the wolf, and she wouldn’t come back. Eventually, she attacked Silas, and he killed her,” Andie concluded. “After that, he killed Ella. Hazel managed to earn Silas’ trust, and we all just moved on.”
“Why didn’t I know about any of this?” Teddy wondered.
“Maggie wouldn’t let us talk to you about it. And after Christine was killed, she took you and left. She didn’t want Ella’s mess to corrupt you,” Andie explained.
Teddy sighed heavily, thinking of Christine and remembering her warm nature. She couldn’t imagine her turning on her family. The image of the rogue wolves with their glowing, purple eyes came back to mind, and Teddy shifted uncomfortably. “So, there’s no way to turn the rogue wolves back to the way they were?” she inquired.
Her aunts shrugged. “Not that we’ve seen,” Andie admitted.
“Maybe we could stop them from going rogue in the first place. What do you think is causing it?” Teddy continued.
“Wolf’s bane alone wouldn’t do it,” Seph reasoned. “It would weaken them, not make them wild.”
Teddy racked her brain, desperate to figure it out. Andie took her hand and stroked her hair. “It’s late, Teddy. There’s nothing more you can do tonight,” she advised. “Maybe you should go to sleep.” Teddy opened her mouth to argue that she wasn’t tired, but a yawn slipped out. She decided that her aunts were right, and she headed upstairs to bed.
Chapter Sixteen
Morning came like a rude awakening. Teddy hadn’t been able to sleep all night, and there was an unusual tension tugging at her attention. She’d tossed and turned for hours before finally dragging herself out of bed. She decided to take a hot shower to shake off bad memories of the night before. As she stood under the spray of the water, she washed herself with calming lavender soap.
Let me out of here.
It was as if he was in the room with her. She recognized the voice instantaneously. Emmett. Teddy paused, opening the curtain to see who was there. The bathroom was still empty.
You think you can stop me?
He sounded like he was sick. She turned off the water and waited for his voice to come back.
I’ll kill you.
His threat echoed in her head. Teddy trembled, the cold air hitting her wet skin, and she began to feel sick. She rubbed her arms to warm herself but stopped, nearly screaming when she saw the burn marks that stretched across her arms and torso. Terrified, she climbed out of the tub and looked at her herself in the mirror to confirm her injuries. But her reflection was unscathed.
Teddy looked down at her arms, seeing that the burns had disappeared. But the uneasy feeling in her stomach stayed, and she grabbed a towel. As she dried off and headed back to her room, she started to panic. Everything in her body was warning her that something was wrong with Emmett, and she needed to get to him.
She dressed and headed downstairs, where her aunts and Phee were already eating something that resembled breakfast. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Phee greeted, offering a smile. It was sadder than usual, given the previous night’s events.
“Morning,” Teddy mumbled, rubbing her arm.
Andie noticed her niece. “What’s wrong? Your arm okay?” she wondered.
Teddy sighed. “I think so. I was in the shower just now, and…it was like there were burns all over my arms. But when I looked again, they were gone,” she explained. Seph raised an eyebrow, worried. “Phee, got any word from Kitt? Did they figure out anything about the rogues?”
The redhead shook her head. “Nothing yet. I was going to go back to hospital and see about Cora,” she announced, taking a bite of Seph’s banana bread.
Teddy sighed and sat at the table. “I think something is wrong with Emmett,” she admitted, frowning.
“Why?” Seph asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. I heard his voice this morning, just before I saw those phantom burns on my arms. And last night
…He seemed off after fighting the rogue wolves,” she worried. “I even thought I saw that same purple color in his eyes.”
Her aunts froze. “The rogue wolves have purple eyes?” Seph clarified, as Andie left the room. Both of the younger women nodded.
Andie returned with one of Hazel’s books in hand. She laid the thick book down on the table and began flipping through it. “Christine’s eyes turned purple after Ella poisoned her. With wolf’s bane,” Andie announced. “Whoever is behind the rogue wolves must be doing the same.”
“But who would want to hurt the Strattons?” Phee wondered. “Ella died years ago, right?”
“I don’t know,” Andie sighed. “Maybe a rival pack?”
Teddy moved away from the table. “We’ll figure that out. But, right now, I need to get to Emmett,” she announced. “He’s not okay, and I know it.”
“But I thought Silas told you to stay away,” Seph pointed out.
“I’ve got to try,” Teddy argued. “If he’s going rogue, then he could be killed by one of the other wolves. And I’m not going to let that happen.”
Her aunts sighed. “Fine. But we’re coming with you,” Andie warned. Seph nodded in agreement.
“I’ll go to the hospital to check on Cora. Call me and give me an update as soon as you can,” Phee requested.
“Sure. I’ll go get ready now,” she said, leaving the kitchen and running up to her room. As she slipped on her boots and gathered a few healing charms, worry over Emmett chased her every thought. She needed him to be okay.
Chapter Seventeen
Teddy sped through the mountains, her hands trembling at the wheel. The aunts were gravely quiet as they rolled along in the old Beetle. Andie had used her Intuition to channel Emmett, but all she’d heard was the growl of his wolf.
As they drove up the driveway, Wyatt appeared from the woods, jumping in front of the car. Teddy slammed on the brakes and swerved to avoid hitting him. “What are you doing here?” Wyatt demanded, glaring at the witches. Silas and some of the other wolves followed his lead, watching the witches warily. “Come to do more damage?”
