by Davis, Lia;
Felix Darwin would pay for every life he’d destroyed.
And she was going to help make it happen.
Ana caught Cameron’s jasmine scent before she heard the female lean against the other side of the doorframe behind her. Her sister-in-law had quickly become a good friend. Glancing over her shoulder, Ana smiled. Cam was five months pregnant. Carrying triplets, she looked further along, even with the baggy clothes she wore. “Have you told them how many?”
Shaking her head, Cam rubbed her belly. “No, but I will soon. If they haven’t already figured it out by now. Knowing them, they already know and are just waiting for me to say something.”
“True. Especially Graham, since he was there for Max’s birth.” Graham was one of Cam’s mates, and Max was his son; therefore, Cam’s stepson. The kid was also the most adorable white-blond-haired, large-blue-eyed toddler Ana had ever seen.
Cam stared at her, eyes searching. “Are you okay?”
Cupping her coffee a little closer to her nose, Ana nodded. “I just feel a little lost sometimes. Not really sure what to do.”
The truth was she didn’t know how to deal with the distance Kieran had put between them since they’d arrived at Ashwood several months before. Of course, he was an Elder on the Council and had the responsibility of aiding Keegan with rebuilding the ruling body of shifter-kind, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something. She was tired of going to bed alone, and her leopard grew more irritated by the day. They wanted their mate.
“You know,” Cam started, keeping her tone low, “no matter what the issue is, a male cannot deny their mate’s needs.”
Ana’s cheeks heated. If her sister-in-law could sense how sexually frustrated and on edge she was, then so could everyone else around her. “I know.”
Cam leaned forward and hugged her tight. “Then stop torturing yourself and go after him. Force him to start the mating dance.”
Ana took a sip of her coffee, thinking of the last few times she’d been alone with Kieran. A whopping two times since arriving at Ashwood. What had she done about it? Nothing. It was time to change that. Mind made up to do just what Cam had suggested, Ana turned to go inside to put her cup in the dishwasher, but Cam took it from her. “Go.”
Smiling, Ana gave her sister-in-law another hug. “Thanks.”
It took Ana less than five minutes to track down her mate. Although it wasn’t hard. He was at his apartment near the main entrance to the den. She climbed the stairs to the second floor and knocked on his door. After a few moments, he opened it, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, the top button undone. She inhaled, drawing in his earthy scent and the aroma of sage soap. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Wow, that sounded bitchy. Squash the attitude, Ana.
He raised his brow but didn’t comment as he stepped aside and motioned her inside. “I just got out of the shower and was going to call you.”
“Oh…um, good timing then.” She smiled and searched his handsome features. His damp, black hair stood on end as if he had run a towel over it.
He leaned into her, shutting the door at the same time, then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. His rich, musky scent enveloped her, flaring to life the desire she only had for this male. Nipping at her ear, he nuzzled her. A sense of relaxation flooded her, washing away the anxiety she had bottled up. If only they could escape together, far away from this war.
“I missed you,” he whispered before gently biting her throat, not breaking the skin. Her leopard purred and begged for him to mark her. To bite down and sink his fangs into her, claim her. However, he never did.
Her leopard growled and snapped her teeth, no longer wanting to wait for their stubborn mate to make his move. Ana scored her nails down his back. A half-growl, half-hiss escaped him, and he slid one hand to her ass before releasing her.
Chest aching, she refused to meet his gaze as she stepped around him to stand in the middle of his living room. She’d been here with him too many times, in this place of utter frustration. Things heated up, he nipped the skin in the spot where he would bite down to claim her, then pulled away. Every situation ended the same. With a rejection that tore open her heart a little more.
She wasn’t playing the game anymore. Facing him, she pinned him with a glare. “Am I your true mate, or not?”
He froze, his brows drawn together. “You know you are.”
“Do I?” Hurt shifted to anger. Sure, it was the female who made the final decision, but the male had to start things. “You haven’t marked me or started the mating dance. For all I know, you don’t want to.”
A tic formed in his jaw and he stepped forward, his cat in his eyes. “Now is not the time, Ana.”
Her chest tightened. “No, I guess not. In fact, I bet it will never be the right time.”
His cell phone rang, but he stared at her for a long moment before answering it. “Yeah…fuck…okay, I’ll be right there.”
Dread settled over her. With her super-sensitive hearing, she’d heard Keegan’s voice from the other end of the phone. She’d also heard Felix’s name. “What has the bastard done now?”
“Not sure, but it has Keegan ready to hunt him down.”
Not wanting to deal with Kieran and the confusing cyclone of emotions he stirred within her, Ana moved to the door and jerked it open. “I’m going to Ashwood to help Cora test the wards.”
She moved to exit his apartment but stilled when he gripped her arm. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”
When she met his gaze, she saw a hint of worry flash across his gold irises. Shaking her head, she extracted her arm from his grip and hardened her stare. “You come to me when you’re ready, but don’t expect me to wait long.”
****
Kieran sat on a worn La-Z-Boy in the living room of Keegan and his mate, Addyson’s, temporary home in MoonRiver. Luna and Hayden sat on the sofa in the center of the room while Keegan paced in front of the fireplace. The male’s shoulders held a visible tension as he wore a track in the carpet.
Kieran and Keegan had been friends for far too long; it was obvious the Elder had fucked-up news to share. Luna, on the other hand, was harder to read. The Alpha female was a master at hiding her emotions, or at least her anger.
Much like the female his leopard craved. Ana had actually given him an ultimatum before she took off to Ashwood. No doubt to work off her frustrations. He didn’t blame her, really. They were mates. Yet, with the war in full bloom, he couldn’t think about the future.
Just then, Blaine walked through the front door and Keegan finally let the words tumble out. “The spell on Savannah’s prison was broken this morning.”
“Fuck.” Hayden burst to his feet.
Felix’s mate had been in a deep sleep for the past two hundred years, hidden away from the world. Why the previous Elders hadn’t ordered them to kill the female was beyond Kieran’s understanding. She was evil incarnate, and with her mate by her side…
They’d have hell on earth.
Blaine growled. “We have to form stronger alliances with the other shifter communities and secure the Pack. Then hunt both of them down.”
Kieran agreed one hundred percent. “We need to have a security team meeting to see how the implementation of the new system at Ashwood is coming. I’m not comfortable with moving the kids and females in until it is online.”
Not that their temporary home at MoonRiver was secure, but it was better than nothing. And it was too risky to keep moving around. Besides, there were sentries camped out at the nursery, and they rotated shifts with the enforcers.
As a trained spy, Kieran knew all too well that a small vulnerability was all the enemy needed to gain the upper hand. He also knew careless mistakes like the one Vance made several months ago, got people killed. The Onyx Marshal had charged into Ashwood thinking he’d wipe out the Pack. The stupid bastard died and lost a large part the Onyx soldiers in the process.
Hence why Felix had hunte
d down his mate and freed her from her prison. So she could help the Alpha grow stronger and take his revenge. “How did Felix find the witch?”
Keegan shook his head. “Michaela thinks she started to wake, which allowed Felix to track her through the mating bond.”
Grinding his molars together, Kieran forced himself to stay in his seat and not hunt down the rogue Alpha to put an end to this. However, no one knew where the bastard had gone to lick his wounds after Kieran, Keegan, and the rest of them destroyed the Onyx den.
Not even Ana…Wait. Could Sable know where to find her father?
Standing, Kieran met Keegan’s stare. “Shouldn’t we bring Ana into this meeting? She could know where he hides, or at least know where to find Sable.”
Blaine nodded. “I’ll call Alec and Cora in, as well. They could give us an update on the security of Ashwood.”
“Let’s take a break, cool down,” Luna glared at Keegan and the other males in the room, “and then regroup in an hour. Bring in the senior soldiers, as well.”
Kieran made his escape, too wound up from his argument with Ana and the news that Savannah was free. He’d meant to surprise Ana later that day with dinner and the promise of mating. Something long overdue. However, with the evil witch on the loose now, most likely gunning for those who’d imprisoned her, he couldn’t risk putting a target on Ana’s back.
No, he couldn’t mate with Ana now that Savannah and Felix were working together. There was no way he’d go through losing another loved one. And he loved Ana. Loved her enough to risk the chance of losing her as his mate.
Chapter Three
Cora was a genius. Her knowledge of computer systems and applications blew Ana’s mind as they sat in the “control central” monitoring what they hoped would be the last test of the new security system for Ashwood.
The den was ninety percent reconstructed, and with the finishing touches going on at the nursery, they could return to the den. Ana couldn’t wait to get back to a normal routine again. Well, somewhat anyway. She wasn’t sure she knew what normal was anymore.
“Are you alright?” Cora asked, not making eye contact.
Forcing herself to relax, Ana nodded. “Yeah. Just male troubles.”
A soft laugh escaped Cora before she replied. “What has Kieran done?”
“It’s what he hasn’t done.” Ana rolled her eyes. Damn male.
The young wolf beside her lifted her shoulders. “I’m not good at relationship advice. Cam told me to push back at Torin, but I’m not sure that would work for you.”
“No. I’ve been pushing, and now it feels like he’s drifting away.” Ana’s chest ached at the omission. Nothing she tried with Kieran seemed to work. She didn’t understand why.
“Maybe you should play hard to get. You know, make him chase you.”
A laugh burst from Ana’s lips, but in reality, Cora was right. All this time, Ana had pushed Kieran and chased him. She’d believed that since they were away from Onyx everything would fall into place. The opposite had happened. Kieran submerged himself into his work and all but avoided her. What if Ana turned the tables? Stopped pushing and started living.
“Cora, you’re a genius.”
“I know,” the female teased, drawing another laugh from Ana.
Ana had never laughed much before coming to Ashwood, now she laughed all the time. The Pack—wolves and leopards combined—had an open sense of love and respect. Sure there were cat versus wolf issues from time to time, but all families had their quarrels.
Leaning into Cora so their shoulders touched, Ana smiled as a soft sigh slipped from the submissive wolf. She’d been through so much in her short life—losing both her parents and her brother—but she’d learned to overcome her fears. Her mate, Torin, had helped bring the female out of her shell more.
“What’s taking him so long?” Ana glanced at the multi-screened monitor, not seeing Alec in any of the windows. He’d gone out to test the camera system.
“He’s there.” Cora pointed to another monitor, then pressed the intercom key. “We see you.”
In leopard form, Alec lifted his large head to the camera and growled before darting out of sight. A moment later, an alarm sounded a few feet to the north of where they had spotted him. “Damn. We need a camera there.”
Cora shook her head. “It’s next to impossible to cover every inch of the perimeter.”
“Could we make them move and scan the area?” Ana didn’t like leaving even a small chance for the rogues to get in. “Alec, how’re the wards?”
Ana’s brother came into view, in human form and naked. Good lord. Shifters didn’t have qualms about nudity, but the acting leopard Beta was her brother. Besides, Ana learned from a young age not to get caught without clothes. Mutants and Felix’s guards had no problem taking advantage of females, no matter how old or young.
Luckily for her, Sable had been there to protect her.
“The wards are sound, I can’t penetrate them. We’re good to go. Everything else can be monitored by sentries.” He paused and tilted his head, listening. “Blaine and Luna have called a meeting.”
At that moment, the door to the security room opened. Ana didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Kieran. “We’ll meet you there. Kieran just got here.”
Alec nodded and shifted into his leopard before taking off.
After standing, Ana moved to the door. Kieran’s dark brows bunched together, and the corners of his mouth dipped into a frown.
“What?”
“Cora, we need your brilliant mind and your notes on the system.” He softened his expression with the submissive, melting Ana’s heart. How was she going to play hard to get when she saw the side of him that he hid away.
Cora glanced from him to Ana. “I…Okay.” She gathered her notepad and tablet and stood.
Nodding at her, Kieran said, “Please wait for us in the truck.”
“Sure.” She darted out of the room.
Studying Kieran, Ana sensed that something wasn’t right. “What?” she asked again.
“Felix is plotting something big. I’ll let Luna explain more at the meeting, but I need you to get in touch with Sable to see if she knows where her father is hiding.”
Scanning his features, she noted something she hadn’t seen when he arrived. Fear. “It’s that bad?”
He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “Yes. I also believe both you and Sable are in danger. Try to talk her into coming to Ashwood.”
“No. I can’t. They’ll lock her up like a prisoner.”
“She has committed crimes on her father’s behalf.”
Ana crossed her arms. “She’s not that person anymore.”
“She’ll get a trial.”
Shaking her head, Ana knew she wasn’t going to ask her sister to turn herself in. “I can’t ask her to do that. I’ll talk to her. Alone. But I’m not asking her to turn herself in to the Council.”
She pushed by him, not giving him a chance to argue with her. The rebels needed Sable to lead them, to stop Onyx and other rogue groups. Sure they were working above the law, but they’d made progress that Ashwood couldn’t.
No, Ana was not going there with Sable.
****
It was a full house, literally. Kieran leaned against the far wall of Keegan’s temporary home listening to Cora and Alec run through information on the security system, the double layer of wards, and the third inner layer of magickally charged sensors. None of it made a whole lot of sense to him, other than the fact that someone would have to be stupid and desperate to try and break through it all.
Alec draped an arm around Cora’s shoulders, ignoring the low growl from Torin. “We are good to go home thanks to Cora. She’s brilliant.”
The submissive wolf dipped her head while her cheeks turned bright red. Torin held out a hand, and Cora drifted over to him, allowing him to pull her onto his lap. He kissed her mouth, then her nose, before addressing the room.
“I have a few young wol
ves who are ready to move up to soldier position. Brenna and Bryce are two. The twins never cease to impress me with their skills and strength. Plus, the psychic connection they have is amazing.” His lips twitched, and the sense of pride he felt for the teens lit up his features. Glancing over to Christa, the twins’ aunt and guardian, he nodded to her. “You did good with their training.”
Christa smiled and gave a short nod as she leaned into her mate, Hayden. “They’re great kids.”
Luna cleared her throat and spoke up from where she sat on the sofa. “I called everyone here because Michaela, the tiger Elder from Evers Creek, informed Keegan this morning that Savannah Darwin has been released from her spell and prison.”
“For those who don’t know, Savannah is Felix’s mate and Sable’s mother. She’s a powerful dark witch. She was the reason Felix was able to attack so many dens in the short period of time he did.” Keegan paused and met Kieran’s gaze.
With a short nod, Kieran finished the story. “Keegan, myself, and a few others hunted the witch down and captured her. At the time, there were three Elders who had magickal bloodlines. They were able to cast a spell to put Savannah into a deep sleep, and then locked her away inside a manmade bunker just north of the Tennessee/Georgia border.”
Feeling Ana’s stare, Kieran glanced her way. She’d left her long, black hair down. The silky strands cascaded over her shoulders, melting into the black tee she wore. Her grey eyes bored into him for a few moments before she spoke to the group. “Does anyone know where Felix and Savannah would go now that the Onyx den has been destroyed?”
“We were hoping you could help us with that,” Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ana cut a glare to the wolf Alpha, then to Kieran. “Why me? How can I help?”
When no one spoke, Kieran averted his gaze from his mate and shook his head. “As I mentioned to you earlier when we were alone, you are the only one who can contact Sable.”
“And?” She folded her arms.
Kieran glanced to Keegan. “She would know of his hiding spots.”
